


...as schoolboys from their books

by Hermaline75



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Anal Sex, Angst, Bottom Thor, Class Differences, Incredibly clumsy seduction, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Older Loki, Oral Sex, Private Tutor, Rimming, Seduction, Thor is a brat, Travel, Tutoring, but a loveable brat, inappropriate relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 18:38:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 64
Words: 61,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6206152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hermaline75/pseuds/Hermaline75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki is employed in Odin's household to tame and teach his spoiled son, Thor, who at 16 has learned to charm and/or whine his way to everything he wants.</p><p>And once he gets over the shock of a tutor who won't put up with his usual tactics... Thor wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Employment

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [thorduna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorduna/pseuds/thorduna) in the [ThorLokiPromptMeme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ThorLokiPromptMeme) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> I love the idea of a fic taking place in 18th or 19th century where Thor is a spoiled young aristocrat who wraps all nurses, teachers and care-takers around his golden finger, being a little terrible angel. Then his father hires Loki as a teacher, who is strict and seemingly resistant to Thor's charm.. until he isn't. In fact, he's the one showering some very questionable affections on his charge.
> 
> Totally open to underage because older Thor would probably older be attending college or travelling the world rather than staying in some old castle.. away from everything.. hehe.

It was sweltering, but Loki barely blinked. He was nothing if not perfectly polished, his cravat tied just so, his shoes shined and not even a speck of dirt on them. He held his hat politely as the old man looked over his credentials again. There was no real point other than the look of the thing. No doubt they'd already been gone through with the utmost care.

"Very impressive," Odin said eventually. "You have glowing reports."

"Thank you, sir."

"All in the capital or other cities though. Tell me, what makes an urbanite like you want to come to the country?"

_The money._

"The city was becoming a little too loud and smoky even for me. Out here, breathing feels healthier. And it's wonderful to hear nature in all her glory."

Another thorough once over. He could tell what Odin was thinking, it was practically written on every line of his face. Loki was evidently not a working man, as they thought of it. Despite his wealth, Odin was hands-on with his estate and valued physical work. Loki had read up on him, of course, what little there was to read. It paid to be prepared.

Then again, since Loki was a man of letters and that was the entire point of his being there, surely it was only right that he lacked a few callouses in exchange for extra vocabulary.

Odin nodded brusquely.

"Well, I will not lie to you. You will be the third tutor we have employed this year. I trust that you will help Thor make progress where others have failed."

Third? Well, wasn't that intriguing?

"Is he a difficult boy? Moody? Bad-tempered?"

"If he was, I might know what to do with him. Thor is... Well, everyone adores him and he knows it. I fear his mother, God rest her, was a little too indulgent with him."

Evasive, passing the blame. No doubt Odin had been equally lenient with his angel of a son. It was nigh-on impossible in Loki's experience for only one parent to be at fault if their little darling turned into a viper. Children were like dogs, in that respect. They needed structure and consistency.

"So his other tutors were over kind? Don't worry. I am a firm believer in discipline when necessary."

Perhaps Odin looked a little apprehensive at that, more proof that he was not immune to his son's techniques. Oh, Loki was looking forward to meeting this one. At least he sounded interesting. It would make up for being stuck in the middle of nowhere if he could really mould the boy, make him into a proper young gentleman.

"Thor is an expert in the day to day running of the estate, in terms of what happens in the fields and barns. He loves being out among the workers and they love him for that. But he must get to grips with the accounts, the correspondence, all the paperwork for pay and rent collection."

Basics. Hopefully he was at least literate. Teaching the alphabet was possibly Loki's least favourite activity, especially to older, bored charges.

"And I... I would like Thor to be able to take his place amongst other young men of fortune. I never took a grand tour, but I think seeing Europe and its splendours would be good for my son. Alas, I fear he is not cultured enough at present and I would hate for him to feel embarrassed or lesser compared to others..."

A crash course of languages and literature as well? That was rather a lot. And he could feel the father's concern. They had only been gentry for around three generations after all. Several of the most prominent families would turn their noses up at them, only owning one large estate, especially if the boy was anything less than spectacular in all departments.

"I'll do my best with him," Loki said.

Odin stood and offered his hand to shake. Excellent. Not that Loki had ever feared that he wouldn't be hired. It seemed Odin was rather desperate to get his son sorted out before it was too late.

"Would you like to meet Thor?"

"If he is here, certainly."

"Oh, he normally comes home for his midday meal."

He lead Loki out into the yard, limping slightly as he went. Loki wondered if he needed a cane but dared not offer his arm in case it caused offence. And once outside, in the distance, he could hear hoofbeats.

Blond hair streaming in the wind, shirt open halfway to reveal a hairless but sweat-soaked chest, black trousers spattered with mud to the knee and boots that could be any colour, Thor might have sprung directly from the fantasies of a young girl. Not that Loki knew much about such things, though his last female pupil had been fourteen and dreadfully fond of romances. At least that meant she was reading. He had let her devour her novels so long as she always swapped them for a philosophy book if so much as a footstep was heard outside the room. He was strict, but no sadist.

Thor cantered into the yard, laughing, his skin golden brown and the healthy build of an active young man obvious as he dismounted and handed his reins to a waiting stable boy.

"Thor," Odin said firmly. "This is Mr Laufeyson, your new tutor. I trust you are eager to get back to your books?"

Loki felt a strange sensation as Thor looked him up and down, definitely appraising him, like he was somehow exposed for scrutiny. Eventually, Thor's eyes came back to Loki's face and he grinned, a twinkle in them that Loki wasn't sure how to interpret.

"Of course, Father. I can't wait. I'll even bathe before I attend lessons. See? I am learning."

A wave of musk hit Loki in the face as Thor shook his hand. He couldn't stand to be in an enclosed space with that smell. Perhaps the last tutor had complained, maybe that's why they left. He struggled not to wrinkle his nose at the thought of how he was going to be trapped for at least a year with a boy who apparently still had to be reminded to wash regularly... Or maybe Thor was freshly returned from exertion at this moment and morning lessons could silver the problem.

He realised awkwardly that Thor was still holding his hand and hurriedly drew back.

Thor laughed and Loki bristled at the sound.

"I look forward to our first meeting," Thor said before sweeping into the house, kicking off his shoes and wandering down the hall in just his stockinged feet.

Loki watched him go.

Perhaps getting control of this one would be harder than he thought.

"Is he always like that?" he asked. "So carefree and jovial?"

"Yes," Odin sighed. "And I would rather that than melancholy, but even for me, his boisterous nature is sometimes a chore."

Loki nodded vaguely and was glad to be shown his room, the attic space where no doubt Thor's governess had once stayed. The bed was soft, many spare blankets in a chest by the foot, wardrobe space and shelves. His books would fill them well when his belongings arrived.

Yes, it would do nicely.

At least, he could certainly do worse.


	2. First Lesson

"I've never had a male tutor before," Thor said the first time he arrived, hair still damp from bathing before presenting himself.

"I doubt that will make much of a difference," Loki replied. "Why don't you tell be where your studies have reached? Can you read, for example?"

Thor spluttered.

"Of course I can read! I'm not a baby. I can count too before you ask."

He was so indignant at being treated like a child. It was almost sweet, though that temper had to go. A reputation as a hot head would do him no good. It was a cardinal rule in Loki's book - never show that you're angry and never act in anger. It fogged the mind too much and Thor would do well to learn that. Loki smiled at him, a little condescendingly perhaps.

"I just need to get an idea of where we're starting from. Your last tutor didn't leave any notes for me. Here, read this aloud. It will give me an idea of your level."

Thor practically snatched the book from him and began to read, beginning with the publishing notes. Well, at least he was thorough, determined to demonstrate his skills.

"Goatee's Faust, translated from the gurman. Printed in London by Thomas Boosey and Sons, one-eight-two-one..."

"Stop. That's all I need to hear."

"Just that?"

"Believe me, any more would be a waste of both our time."

He could tell from the little frown between Thor's brows that he wasn't sure whether to take insult from that or not.

"Who taught you your letters?" Loki asked.

"My nurse. I don't remember her name, I just called her nurse."

So some country matron, probably hardly able to read herself. But at least she'd tried to give him a good start. It was more than most got.

"And after her?"

"Well, first there was Miss Garde, but she went away to get married. Then there was Miss Eir, but she got another job in the city. Then there was..."

"How many teachers have you had in total?"

Thor frowned as he worked it out.

"Twelve after nurse. You're number thirteen."

Twelve tutors by the age of sixteen... And two of those in the last year.

"Who was most recent?"

Oh, goodness, the boy's eyes had gone misty all of a sudden. What had happened with this one? Had she died? Thor looked away, somehow managing to shuffle his feet despite being sat down.

"Miss Jane. Father sent her away because I told him I was going to marry her."

Loki blinked at him. Unless they were employing children as teachers now, she must have been some years older that Thor, in her early twenties at the youngest.

"And did Miss... Jane return your affection? Had you asked her if she wished to marry you?"

"Well... No, but she liked me, I could tell. She was always smiling at me and she let me have lessons outside when the weather was good. Sometimes she would teach me about the stars too, all the stories up there at night. I was going to ask her but then I told Father my intentions first. I shouldn't have. We should have run away together and then no-one could have stopped us."

Was he really sixteen? He practically had a child's understanding of the world. It was not for him to marry a teaching girl, who no doubt thought of him as an infant.

"What if she had refused you?"

"Ref... No. She would have married me. Eventually. I know she would."

Oh, dear. So hopeful. Loki did not relish having to experience his charges' first stumbles into the disappointment and pain of the adult world. But, alas, it was necessary to make them understand that the universe would not always bend to their will and that they ought to get used to that.

And it was important to establish himself as the voice of reason early. Lessons outside... That was a recipe for distraction. There'd be no more of that while he was in charge.

"Would she?" he asked. "You think she would have wanted to come here, where all the servants would know her and her humble beginnings, the whispers that would start? They would have accused her of manipulating you into it, of tricking you. It would have been unbearable for her socially, no matter the status and wealth she would enjoy. And besides, Thor, a smile and kindness are not necessarily a sign of love. You can trust me on that. Not that you ought to be chasing love anyway when it comes to marriage."

Thor pouted.

"Why not? What else is there?"

"Prosperity. Family connections. Health. All manner of things. But don't worry. You won't be expected to find a suitable wife for at least a few years. You'll go on a grand tour of Europe first. That's what we're moving towards, not marriage. You are to learn to be as cultured and clever as the finest young men in the land, a task we should make a start on as soon as possible if we hope to get anywhere."

He closed the curtains, lighting a lamp instead. The outside world would not distract his pupil. The warm light fell across Thor's face, illuminating his expression of mistrust and irritation. Loki had seen that face a hundred times on a hundred different students. He'd lash out soon, trying to regain control. They always did.

"Now then... I must sort out your pronunciation before we can think about improving your general literacy."

"That's a waste of a candle," Thor said, blowing it out.

Right on cue.

Loki paused and when he spoke again, his voice had gone low and dangerous. Behaviour like that was not going to be tolerated.

"Very well. Pronunciation in the dark, as you prefer. Vowels. Begin."

Annoyance practically radiated from Thor as he mumbled his way through every exercise Loki set him. In truth, his pronunciation was not overly coarse. He spoke clearly and without the habitual glottal stops that would give his lack schooling away. Really, he did quite well. But the time for compliments would come later.

Once his attitude had improved dramatically.


	3. The Boy Who Cried Ill

Loki was not remotely surprised when Thor did not appear for their second lesson. Too sick, one of the servants told him. Couldn't so much as get out of bed.

"Oh, dear," Loki said, apparently in complete sincerity. "I will go and read to him. It's soothing sometimes to have a nice gentle voice drifting over you."

Thor scowled from beneath a mountain of blankets when Loki entered his room.

"I'm sick," he said. "I can't study if I'm sick."

"Now, Thor, come along. Just think, if you keep this up then one day you might really be sick and I won't believe you."

"But I'm really sick today!"

Loki raised his eyebrows at him, trying to convey that he didn't believe that for one moment.

"You have two options, young sir. Either you get up and do a little dictated writing for me, or I will read to you from the most boring book in my possession."

In response, Thor shuffled a little deeper under the covers. Well, reading it was, and fortunately, Loki happened to have brought along just the material to brighten Thor's day, a long and wordy missive on archaic tax regimes, now long out of use.

After around ten minutes of tossing and turning, moaning and pretending to sleep, Thor decided he felt miraculously better and would like to do the dictation after all. In a magnanimous spirit, Loki elected to allow him to stay bundled up in bed for it with his inkwell balanced on his breakfast tray and chose a text he thought the young man would like, exciting battle memoirs.

Thor's handwriting was passable, legible, well-sized letters and figures. There'd been a worrying moment in the first sentence when he'd asked how to spell 'comma', but once that hurdle was crossed, he had done surprisingly well. One or two unfamiliar words were written phoenetically, but that was alright. He'd learn.

"Your writing is better than your reading."

Thor smiled shyly. Of course, that's what he liked. He wanted praise and rewards. Well, it was about time that he learned that he had to earn such things. They couldn't just be handed out or they lost their effect.

"Don't be smug. I can only say that because your reading is truly abysmal."

Thor pouted and frowned and held that grudge for the rest of their time together, after which he was of course cured of his illness and able to run away outside.

It became a familiar pattern. Thor would resist all efforts to improve him, stubborn and pouting, and Loki would calmly brush off all his attempts at disruption having seen them all before. But what surprised him was that Thor did learn things quickly when he wanted to. He had initiative and interest and he recalled facts readily. He just needed the right kind of encouragement and less of the indulgence that had let him waste so much time. The boy was not stupid, he was just willfully against anything he did not want and he did not want to be indoors all morning on bright summer days.

It was the strangest thing, watching as Thor learned about spite. He had tried complaining to his father that Mr Laufeyson was mean and he didn't like him and Odin had effectively washed his hands of the whole matter and told Thor that he had brought this on himself.

This only made Thor more determined to resist, trying to sneak out in the early mornings, begging the maids so sweetly, saying that he needed to go out for whatever reason even though it was forbidden. Every morning, Loki would intercept him, rescuing whichever poor girl had been withstanding her young master's charming whining.

Thor stopped bathing before class, letting the scent of the stables follow him around all day and night. Loki told on him to his father, an act that seemed to shock Thor more than anything else.

"You told him?" he spluttered from under damp hair after Loki calculatedly let it slip.

"Of course. It is painfully obvious that you do not respect my authority so I went to the one person who outranks me in this house."

He could tell from Thor's frown that he was thinking of many people he felt were higher up the scale than Loki.

"As far as the mornings go, you are my responsibility, Thor. I will teach you, whether you like it or not, unless your father tells me you are excused from lessons. Only your father. Not the housekeeper, not the butler, not a manservant or maid and certainly not you, young sir."

"You still call me sir though."

An unusual barb. Thor usually seemed utterly oblivious to the privilege and responsibility he had been born into. He must really be desperate for ammunition if he was resorting to class. Good. Hopefully he'd realise soon that this was a losing battle.

"Reflexive politeness is an asset, yet another I will need to find the time to teach you."

If anger was a finite thing, the world's supply would have been greatly diminished by Thor's reaction to finding out that not only had he been forced to bathe that morning, but he also had to do mathematics.

Two or three months passed in constant conflict before the day came that would change the course of both their lives.

And it began, of course, with Thor successfully escaping the house at precisely the time he was supposed to be reciting his monarchs.


	4. Punishment

Thor was not coming. Thor was not in his room. Thor was not in the kitchen.

Loki's patience had gone beyond thin and was now positively emaciated. The maids claimed that they had not seen him and his horse was merrily munching its breakfast oats.

Thinking of which... Thor was a healthy young man with a matching healthy appetite. Surely he would be back for food soon enough. Loki considered going out to look for him, but the likelihood of success was slim and he did not relish the idea of traipsing through muddy fields. No, it would be more prudent to wait until he reappeared. He sat in a semi-concealed alcove near the yard door, ready to spring, stewing in his own annoyance.

After hours had gone by, around midday, Thor returned having missed his lessons completely. He crept into the house, no doubt thinking to get some food and flee outside again before too many people saw him. But Loki was ready for him.

Thor's whole body tensed when Loki called to him, spinning on his heel with guilt written all over his face. They were almost the same height, but he still seemed to be looking upwards.

"You don't understand," he said, blabbering under Loki's furious gaze. "They started the harvest today and I wanted to see... I'll catch up tomorrow. It's only one day after all, surely it cannot matter so very much."

"That's your problem, isn't it, Thor? Never had to deal with the consequences for your actions. Get upstairs."

"But..."

"Upstairs now."

Punishment wasn't generally part of Loki's teaching technique. Not serious punishments, anyway. Generally a few sharp words would suffice, he found. But not with Thor. Thor seemed to think he could talk his way out of anything, that he was inevitably in the right and Loki ought to just move aside and let him do what he wanted, like everyone else did. Even the most difficult pupils he'd ever taught had realised early on that they wouldn't win a battle of wills against him. Thor seemed convinced that he would yield eventually.

At least he seemed nervous when Loki arrived, wringing his hands, eyes wide and innocent. But he knew what he was up to, Loki was sure of that. No doubt he'd been doing it for years, turning on the angel, knowing no-one could bring themselves to disappoint him.

This was clearly long overdue.

"Are you going to cane me?" Thor asked, a slight whimper in his voice. "The students get caned at the village school, on their hands and..."

"Be quiet. I do not possess such a thing. Monarchs of England from William I onwards. Begin."

"What?"

"List out loud the monarchs of England. It is not a difficult request."

Thor's eyes flicked about the room, seeking escape and finding none.

"I... Er... William the Conqueror," he said. "William II. Henry I. Er... Maude?"

"No," Loki said, walking to stand before his desk. "Come here and lay your hands on the wood."

He might not have a cane, but perhaps a little corporal punishment was exactly what his young pupil needed. Thor looked scared, genuinely scared as he approached, leaning forwards. Loki looked on, uninterested.

"Lower your trousers."

He expected protests, upset, but Thor seemed resigned. He did as he was told, face pink. Loki decided to be kind and let him keep his small clothes.

"Who comes after Henry I?"

Thor panted a little, knowing what would happen if he was wrong.

"King Stephen?" he tried.

"Good. Continue."

"Henry II. Richard the Lionheart. John. Henry III. Edward the Confessor..."

Loki brought his hand down hard against Thor's rump, making him cry out and gasp.

"Ah... Henry III. Edward I. Edward II. Richard..."

Another heavy strike. Thor gripped onto the edge of the desk, his chest heaving.

"Edward III?" he tried, voice gone breathless.

"Correct. Continue."

"Richard II. Henry Bolingbroke. Henry V. Henry VI... Er..."

"Continue."

"I can't remember."

He moaned this time as Loki's hand came down. Loki looked at him, what little he could see. His knuckles were white, and he was... He was angling. Like he wanted...

"Edward IV, Thor. Continue."

"Edward IV. Edward V... Henry Tudor."

He was wrong. He knew he was wrong. Loki could tell because he braced himself against the desk, he pushed back, presenting his flesh...

Loki backed away.

"You did that deliberately. Stand up."

"I didn't!" Thor said. "I-I didn't! Richard III, Henry Tudor, Henry VIII..."

"Get out!"

Thor was bright red as he bent down to grab his trousers, an unmistakable bulge clearly visible as he fastened them.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"Do not miss my lessons again. Leave."

Thor scurried out. Loki locked the door hurriedly and leant his head against the wood.

What just happened? That was meant to be a punishment, but Thor had liked it. More than liked, he'd been visibly aroused. And the sounds he'd made...

Loki shook his head, trying to clear the echoes of Thor moaning from his mind. That had been an unexpectedly pleasant sound...

No. Thor was his pupil. They would move on from this. The experiment had failed. That was that.

Of course, he was not reckoning on Thor's sudden passionate interest in lessons.


	5. A Foolish Bargain

"Good morning!"

Thor sounded positively chirpy, smelling clean, his hair fluffy and shining, a bright smile. He was already sitting at his desk, ready to learn.

Loki felt flustered in front of him and scolded himself. Thor was just another young man, that's all. A handsome young man who had thoroughly enjoyed having Loki's hands on his skin... No. This would pass.

It would not be the first time a pupil had developed an attraction to him. He was often the only unrelated man between ten and fifty that a young woman saw and he knew when it happened. The blushes. Stumbling over their words. But it passed. Sooner or later he'd deliberately upset them to break their affection or they'd go into society and learn that the world was full of handsome, charming men and that those ones often came with grand houses or vast fortunes attached.

Thor would find another to focus his affections on. He would just ignore it until that happened. Simple.

There was a slight air of confusion eminating from Thor. Evidently he was expecting some kind of discussion about what had happened the day before. But Loki had no intention of giving him one. No, today they would be covering a little on percentages and their link to harvest yields.

At first, Thor was dutiful and attentive, no doubt sure that the talk would come later. After an hour or so, he evidently decided he needed to bring things to a head, dropping his book on the floor deliberately. Loki looked up at him with a little venom in his eyes.

"Are you going to punish me for that, Mr Laufeyson?"

"I'm sure it was an accident. Pick it up."

"I don't want to."

"Thor..."

Thor pouted at him.

"You can't just pretend yesterday didn't happen."

_Can and will._

"What is there to discuss? You broke the rules. You were punished. Today is a different day."

Thor was visibly irritated, but it didn't seem like he was going to push it. At least at first. He went back to his work, his pen scratching harshly against the paper before flouncing up to Loki's desk to present it to him.

Blots everywhere, but not many mistakes. He clearly knew what he was doing.

"Good work," Loki said softly.

And then Thor laid a hand on his arm.

"No," Loki said, pushing his hand away.

"Why not?"

"Because it's not appropriate for you to touch me."

"You touched me. Under my clothes."

"And I should not have done that."

He was disappointed. Clearly disappointed. But what did he really think would happen?

"I... I liked it," Thor blurted.

Loki looked at him. Just looked. Blank and expressionless, like he couldn't care less about what Thor was saying. Like his heart wasn't racing with... fear? Concern?

"It's not appropriate."

Thor reached for him again.

"No-one would know... I wouldn't tell anyone. And I would be good, I promise. I'd do extra work. I'd learn everything. I'll even do Latin."

He couldn't. It was wrong. And if anyone caught them... Well, he'd be ruined for sure. No-one would trust him with their child again, and that was before even thinking of how Thor was male which would cause its own problems. Loki had long ago come to terms with feeling equally aroused by male and female flesh, but he was not so stupid as to advertise the fact.

On the other hand, if he could make Thor focus and learn... And it wasn't like he was a child, he was in the between stage, very close to his majority. If he was a girl, no doubt he'd already be engaged...

What had come over him? He'd never have considered this kind of thing before. Never.

Though maybe he could use this to his advantage. He could dangle the promise of reward until Thor had reached a certain level or a certain goal and there was no need for him to actually follow through with it.

"Latin?" he said, voice steadier than he'd feared it would be. "That is quite a challenge. If you could learn to conjugate even basic regular and irregular verbs, I would be impressed."

"And what reward would you give me?" Thor asked, grinning.

"I would consider that at the time."

Thor's expression quickly changed.

"That means nothing," he said. "You're just pretending so that I'll do the work and then you won't give me anything."

Loki didn't deny it. A little voice in the back of his mind pointed out that this shrewdness was a good sign for Thor's future. Not so much for Loki's though.

"Shall I tell you what I want in return?" Thor asked, but then didn't wait for an answer, leaning close to speak softly. "I want you to touch me again. I want to feel your hands on me in my most intimate places. I've been thinking of it every time I touched myself since yesterday."

Loki snorted a little, trying to cover how his body was responding at the unusual thought of warm flesh and willing moans. For a moment he wondered how Thor knew of such things, but then again, he spent all his time around farm hands. He could have overheard such talk at any time.

"And how many times have you sinned in so short a time, young sir?"

"So many. I couldn't sleep for excitement. I made myself spill again and again, thinking of how you had punished me, how the heat had spread from your hands, how it had hurt but a good hurt. I want you to touch me again, sir."

Loki bit his lip. This was possibly the most focussed Thor had ever been in his company.

"Fifteen verbs of my choosing," he said. "And if you learn them to my satisfaction, I will reward you."

"How?"

His eyes were shining, his breathing fast. Aroused so easily by just the promise of _something_ happening?

"That is for me to know. Here, I'll prepare a list."

Along with the basics, he included some particularly tricky verbs, ones that followed no rules and simply had to be learned. With any luck, he'd never have to follow through. Thor would grow bored and give up.

Surely.


	6. Unexpected Perks

It took weeks and Loki truly thought he had won. At first Thor was annoyed that his Latin was an additional piece of learning, not to be studied during lessons. He was to work on it in his own time. Loki felt sure that he wouldn't, that he would find too many other things to capture his attention. Autumn was quickly approaching, the harvest well underway. It was an exciting time of year, especially for such and outdoor type.

With any luck, he'd forget all about it. Maybe he'd find a farmhand or milkmaid with whom to work out his lusts. They would move on from this.

He began to regret his hubris on the day Odin summoned him for lunch though. All manner of fears rolled through his head. Thor had mentioned it. Someone had overheard. Someone knew and he was finished for sure... Even contemplating the thought was enough to have him punished.

He sat staring at the luncheon laid out for them, warm bread, chutneys and cured meat, Odin's private cheese platter... Far nicer fare than he normally ate down in the kitchens. No doubt he'd be getting some envious looks come dinner time.

"I wanted to congratulate you," Odin said. "Thor is making excellent progress. Everyone has noticed. At church on Sunday, he recorded the names of the parish beneficiaries perfectly, very neat script. I would never have asked him to, but he volunteered. You've given him a real confidence and pride in learning. And especially in these last few days, he is apparently reciting Latin to himself every hour, up and down the fields as he helps on the land. What is your secret?"

Loki gaped at him for just a second before recovering.

"A varied curriculum and a strong focus on discipline and reward," he said.

Well, technically it wasn't untrue.

Odin seemed convinced at least, pouring them both a little tea. That can't have been the only thing he wanted, surely.

"I am old, Mr Laufeyson," he said without further preamble. "And I fear I may not have more than five years of life left in me. I would like to see my son come into his inheritance and guide him for his first years as master of the estate. But if I want him to see Europe before taking on the responsibility, then he must make that trip sooner rather than later."

Loki panicked a little. Progress had been made, yes, but not enough, not for Thor to go to salons or balls or other such things, not with real nobles. He'd be a laughing stock. A provincial parish church was one thing, Europe would be quite another.

"Sir, you could have ten or more years left..." he began as Odin waved him into silence.

"I know he is not ready," he said. "I have not deceived myself. But I want him to go. And as such, I would like to extend your contract and engage you as a travelling companion for him. He can continue his studies and I'm sure you will keep him out of trouble, out of mischief. Keep him away from unsavory types. I truly feel this is the best solution. And, of course, you will be paid for your service, all expenses covered."

Loki hesitated. On the one hand, he had never actually been to Europe. He'd never been able to afford it. This was quite a chance, the kind of thing he would have leapt at not so long ago. But then again, travelling in close quarters with Thor would not help with his infatuation...

"When would you propose that we go?" he asked.

"In the spring, just after Thor's seventeeth birthday. There will be time for him to learn the basics of European society and for an itinerary to be made. It will be a grand tour with all that the word signifies."

Several months then. Surely he could discourage Thor by then. And then Thor could drink and dance and charm while Loki experienced the culture and the history... Great buildings, art, _food._ It could be wonderful.

He shook Odin's hand across the little table. It was too good an opportunity to miss despite his misgivings.

His mind was running away with itself so quickly that he wasn't prepared for Thor to ambush him as soon as he emerged from seeing his father.

"Mr Laufeyson?" he said, smiling widely. "I've been practising all day. I think I'm ready to recite my Latin now."

Loki's heart hammered loudly in his chest as he lead the way to the chamber serving as the classroom. What a balancing act he had now. Keep Thor improving steadily, but in turn discourage his advances...

Well. Maybe discouraging could wait until Europe. Until there was no going back.


	7. Thor demands his reward

Thor's conjugation was perfect and Loki felt himself growing more and more panicked the longer he went on. He could not invent an error. It was blatantly obvious that Thor had waited and practised until he was absolutely sure of success.

He ended with a smile and a look of expectation and Loki was tempted to try to send him away. But then if Thor told... Well, he could say goodbye to his career, let alone Europe.

Yes, that would distract him. Rome. Naples. Florence. Vienna. Paris. Potsdam. Berlin... So many places to see if he could just hold out.

"Very good," he admitted, arms folded as he leant against his desk.

Thor practically shook with excitement.

"I learned them all, just as you asked."

"Yes, I heard."

"So... So that means you'll..."

Loki pushed himself upright and went to the door, locking it shut. It would not do for a maid to stumble in on them at an inopportune moment.

Thor's arm snaked around his waist and he was quick to slap it away, spinning around angrily to meet Thor's frown.

"You said if I learned it then we could touch," he protested.

"No," Loki said firmly. "We agreed that if you learned them to my satisfaction that I would touch you. In your 'most intimate places' as I recall. Nothing was said about you touching me."

The pout remained.

"But... But you're going to..."

Loki sighed.

"I gave you my word, did I not? I said I would reward good work, though I curse myself for not including a clause requiring more gratitude for what I deign to give you."

Thor hesitated a moment more and then slid down his trousers and small clothes, the edge of his shirt now the only thing protecting his modesty. Not that it was doing a good job. The head of his cock was peeking out beneath the hem.

"What are you going to do?" Thor asked, a mix of anticipation and trepidation in his voice.

What was he going to do? Something fast. Something that would satisfy Thor but be over quickly.

"Sit on the desk," he said quietly, stepping close once he'd shuffled over to it and pulling his shirt out the way.

Thor's cock was plumping up against his thigh, of a size to match the rest of him, with the fairest of hair surrounding it. Loki wasn't quite sure what he was expecting, but he was a little taken aback by it. His brain seemed to be reorganising, moving any ideas he had of Thor as a boy and moving them firmly to young man territory.

He must have paused a little too long because Thor grew flustered.

"What?" he demanded. "What's wrong with it? Why are you looking at it like that?"

Roused into action, Loki reached out and took his cock in hand, feeling the weight of it, the heat, even such a simple action making Thor gasp.

"Nothing wrong. I was merely examining it."

If Thor wanted to demand more answers, it seemed he couldn't. He was panting already, his eyes wide, no doubt the new sensation of being touched by another overwhelming him.

His hands scrabbled on the edge of the desk, trying to find leverage, fucking up into Loki's fist. Despite his haste, Loki stopped stroking immediately, getting an almost pained whine.

"Don't rush," he chastised. "I will finish you in my own time."

"But... But I want..."

"I know you do, but the longer you argue, the longer before I get back to giving you what you need."

Wisely, Thor clamped his mouth shut as Loki resumed his ministrations.

For a moment at least.

It started as little sighs, but soon grew to moans. Little cries slipping from Thor's lips as Loki continued to stroke his cock, now leaking and slippery.

And soon enough...

"Ah... Ah, sir, yes... Mmm, please... Oh, don't stop, don't st... Ooh, yes, like that..."

Loki knew he was getting hard. He couldn't help it. The smell and sound of Thor's pleasure, not to mention the sight of his eyes closed in ecstasy, his lips parted and shining.

He wondered suddenly if that's how Thor would look if he was being fucked and felt a jolt of arousal just at the thought of it. He needed to finish this now.

He ran his thumb firmly over the head of Thor's cock and began tugging in earnest, words abandoning Thor as he gasped and panted, his body convulsing as he spilled.

There was a few moments of silence. Loki's erection throbbed uncomfortably, even as he willed it away.

"It's never been that intense before," Thor said, his cheeks still pink.

"That is why we don't rush," Loki said, stepping back, taking out his handkerchief to wipe Thor's spend from the floor.

He needed some distance. Now.

"What shall I learn to earn my reward next time?" Thor asked, pulling his clothes back into place.

Next time?

Loki hesitated. He should stop this. But on the other hand, if Thor's progress was accelerated, then the grand tour would become a definite plan rather than a hoped-for notion...

"I will give you a new project tomorrow," he said, trying to walk normally to unlock the door.

"Thank you, sir. I look forward to it."

Loki unsteadily climbed the stairs to his room, far away from everyone else, and flopped on his bed, trying to get a grip on himself.

Yes, Thor was handsome and well-formed, but he was also spoiled and childish. Not to mention how inappropriate his infatuation was. This was trouble, plain and simple.

And yet he was still hard, sighing as he opened his trousers to take himself in hand, pretending as he spilled at he wasn't thinking of golden skin and breathless moans.


	8. Progression

"... flesh stays no farther reason,  
But rising at thy name doth point out thee  
As his triumphant prize.  
Proud of this pride,  
He is contented thy poor drudge to be,  
To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side..."

Thor learned poems and was rewarded with an orgasm for each one. He started to read his classics, he began learning French and Italian, and he was increasingly able to recognise allegory and reference. All his cultural development took place outside of lessons, allowing more time for mathematics and written English during them.

Odin was stunned by his advances and Loki couldn't help but feel guilty. If Odin knew what else he was teaching his precious son, that he knew exactly the sounds Thor made at the height of ecstasy, that he couldn't help those sounds echoing in his head at night.

The boy was learning. That was all he cared about.

Loki tried his best not to lead Thor on. He kept his touches functional, just working Thor to climax without intimacy. Not that he could resist teasing sometimes, making Thor beg and plead only to give in. He enjoyed it, even while his enjoyment disgusted him.

Of course, it didn't help that Thor clearly wanted more. He kept his hands to himself, evidently afraid that Loki would deny him if he broke the rules, but he would gaze at Loki with undisguised lust, as though he could see beneath his clothes. And Loki was convinced that he could somehow tell that he was desirable in turn, that Loki secretly wanted him.

He liked to bite his lip and moan, his lashes fanned on his cheek. He would pant, face flushed, and glance at Loki to see if he was really as unaffected as he pretended.

And damn him, he wasn't.

He looked forward to getting to touch Thor. The moments when Thor would appear and smile and announce that he had completed whatever task he had been set and therefore wanted his reward made him burn with excitement.

In time, he stopped fighting his fantasies. He imagined how Thor would moan and grip his hair if he took him in his mouth. He imagined bending him over the desk and using his fingers deep inside him. He imagined bouncing him on his cock, how tight and warm he would be inside, how he would cry out in pleasure.

He was a monster, clearly. But Thor was learning and so Odin announced the grand tour to him, presenting an itinerary, all the places they would go. And then he asked Loki to teach Thor to dance.

"Dance, sir?" he stammered when the request came up.

"Yes. He must be able to dance. I don't want him offending anyone by refusing. Just the basic ones. Nothing fancy."

There wasn't much he could do except agree. They were well into November, the shorter days and cold meaning there was less to be done on the farm and that Thor had more time to dedicate to learning.

And Thor found his dance lesson very enjoyable indeed. Loki was obliged to take his hand, to touch his waist, to step right into his space.

"Are you being the woman?"

"Well, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for me to be leading. That will be your role, after all."

A grin. "I wish you would let me lead in other things as well."

Loki pretended that he hadn't heard, stepping around Thor to begin the sequence again.

"I wish you would let me touch you," Thor continued. "I want to know what it is to feel your bare skin. I want to make you moan. I want to stroke your cock and feel you grow hard in my hand."

Loki pushed him away.

"Stop. Do not speak to me like that."

"Ah, of course, you are a fair maiden. I must speak of love and then kiss you sweetly..."

"I am not amused by this. You must master dancing before we go to Europe. It's important."

"Why?"

"Allegiances are formed on dancefloors. Marriages even. You must be able to show due respect to any noblewoman you meet by asking them to dance. It is an important part of being a gentleman."

Thor made a face as though the idea of parading any and all women placed before him wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

"Can I have a reward if I master it?"

Loki scoffed.

"Considering how you have behaved today? I ought to make you copy out accounting ledgers."

"Please. Not the usual. A kiss, that's all."

Loki stared at him, eyebrow raised as a last line of defence, and Thor began to protest.

"Please! It is so much less intimate than what we have already done."

It was and yet also it was more so. It would require participation. And on the other hand, looking at Thor's mouth...

"We'll see," he said. "Now, one-two-three, one-two-three..."

Thor stopped joking and grew focused, learning not to stare at his feet and to move with confidence, with grace even. He was licking his lips and Loki was sure it was deliberate, making him want.

"Good," he said eventually. "I think you know the basics now."

Thor stepped forward, waiting, so sure. Oh, he shouldn't, he shouldn't do this...

He leant forwards and pressed their lips together, Thor letting out a little sigh of relief, his hands coming up to touch, to try to angle Loki's head and take control.

None of that.

Loki pulled back sharply, putting a finger to Thor's lips before he could protest.

"I'm in charge," he said softly. "Now, open your mouth."

Thor moaned quietly as Loki took the lead once more, teasing his tongue with his own, deepening the kiss. Despite Thor's total lack of technique, he enjoyed it, the way his initial confidence was replaced with yielding, letting Loki explore and teach him.

Thor was panting when they broke apart, his pupils dilated, fists clenched.

"Please..."

"A kiss," Loki said, wiping his tingling lips. "As agreed. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

He left the room before he could be tempted to anything else. Where had his iron will slipped away to over these last months?

He could feel it coming. He could feel that he would succumb to his basest desires and he despaired of it.

It was only a matter of time now.


	9. Offered Gifts

November turned to December and Thor's desire for kissing only grew in intensity. It became rare for Loki to take him to climax. He became practised surprisingly quickly and Loki tried to dampen down the excitement he felt realising that Thor was learning his technique and finesse from him.

At least he had a little respite as Christmas approached. There was a dance in the town hall (in which Thor dazzled the townspeople with his new refined skills) and Advent services and so many other things for Odin and Thor to do. Apart from church and meals, that meant Loki was free to read over their itinerary and plan and dream...

They would travel to Dover and cross to Calais where they would hire a coach and a matching driver. Loki was confident enough of his own French that he doubted a guide would be necessary. There was always the coachman if they needed him.

Paris, and all the delights therein, would be their first major stop. Thor could go riding or learn fencing and improve his French while Loki soaked in the culture, perhaps a visit to the opera house of an evening. They were sophisticated gentlemen after all.

A long journey would follow, one they might need to purchase a coach for, as they headed to Geneva and then the Alps, taking apart their vehicle to go over them. Loki was not exactly looking forward to the hiking, but beyond they would reach Milan and then Florence.

Florence... His heart practically fluttered. So much to see! They would stay in Florence for several weeks, months perhaps, to get through everything. It would be glorious.

From there, Padua and its history, Venice and its canals, Rome and its antiquities. Naples. And then north, back through the Alps and on to Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, the Low Countries and then back across the sea to England.

He was looking forward to it immensely. They thought it would take between a year and eighteen months, relatively short, but exciting nonetheless. When they returned, Thor would be of age to inherit the estate and, with any luck, would have matured and developed into a fine gentleman, as good as any from the established families.

They all went to church for the midnight service for Christmas, Loki walking home with the rest of the servants in the cold. Odin needed a coach due to his advanced age and Thor accompanied him.

In all, it was fairly lonely to be a tutor. Though he ate with the other staff and shared polite conversation with them, there was still a divide. He was too grand for most servants and of course not nearly grand enough for his employers.

But Loki didn't mind too much. It meant he never had to share a room for one thing. And once he'd taken off his wet boots, he was very much looking forward to his warm bed and a nice, long sleep.

He was not expecting to find Thor occupying it.

He paused in the doorway, his cravat half undone, and then entered and closed the door quietly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I... I wanted to give you a Christmas present."

Loki sighed. Thor was sitting up with the sheets held to his neck, but he was clearly nude, nervous. But nervous of what? That he would be rejected or that he'd get what he wanted?

"A present?" Loki asked, voice dull, pulling off his cravat completely and unbuttoning the top of his shirt. "For me or for yourself?"

Thor stammered a little.

"For you... I... I want to give myself to you fully..."

"No. I know what you want. This is about your lusts and your desires. I understand, you are a young man and your blood is hot."

Thor set his jaw.

"I know what I want," he said firmly. "I have not made this decision lightly."

"Have you not? You have thought this all through, have you? You have considered that I might be cruel? That you might dislike it? That once it is done it can never be undone?"

"I want it to be you. I want to do this with you."

"Thor, please. You are my pupil. I cannot..."

"I see how you look at me! You want me too, I know it. Your kisses are so passionate. You cannot have been pretending."

Loki didn't reply to that. There wasn't anything he could say. It was true, he wanted Thor. He knew it, but he also knew how desperately wrong it was, how dreadfully badly it would end.

"I know you want me," Thor said. "Please. I want you, please..."

Loki ran a hand down his face in despair.


	10. Succumbing

"Thor, if we do this, there will be no going back."

"I don't want to go back. I want to go forward."

"Do you even know what you're asking for? The mechanics?"

Thor nodded, blushing, but Loki was not fully convinced. He might know all about animal husbandry, but they were hardly a bull and a cow.

"I have been using my fingers inside. I want more, I want you to... I know that you will be gentle with me, sir. I know you will show me how to do it."

A shiver ran through Loki's whole body. A treacherous little voice spoke up in the back of his mind. If he resisted, Thor might turn against him. He might decide to inform his father of their extracurricular activities. Even just the kissing would spell his doom, never mind the rest. He'd be out, he'd be destitute.

Thor had all the power here. Loki just had to pray he never realised that.

"Push down the blankets," he said. "I know you're naked under there. If you want this, then show me."

Uncertain, Thor did as he was asked. Loki sighed. He was so beautiful. A tiny amount of puppy fat still clung to him, but only a little. He was a young man of strength and breadth, chest heaving and traces of slick on his thighs...

"You've been using your fingers tonight, haven't you?" Loki asked, beginning to undress with purpose.

Thor's gaze followed his progress, eyes lighting up when he finally removed his shirt.

"I wanted to be ready for you."

Loki tutted.

"You don't know how much preparation you need," he said. "I will take care of that. Spread your legs."

A gasp at the blunt order before Thor obeyed. Loki struggled to keep his hand from trembling as he picked up a bottle of oil from his shelf, supposedly for smoothing his hair though he seldom used it. It would do.

Wearing his trousers, even slightly damp from walking home in the snow, made him feel more in control as he crawled up onto the bed, kneeling next to Thor. He had certainly made an effort, that couldn't be denied.

"What did you use?"

"Oil from the kitchen. Is that wrong?"

"No. I was worried that you might have been imprudent and used something unwise. Still, I don't think you've stretched yourself enough. Relax for me."

Of course, Thor immediately tensed, holding his breath as Loki reached down and ran a finger round the outside of his entrance and then inside...

Oh, God, he was so warm and tight. Loki's cock throbbed almost painfully, just imagining how it would feel to be held inside that clenching heat. He pumped his finger in and out, admiring the way Thor's muscles clung to it.

"I want more. I want to be filled."

"Now, now. What do we not do, Thor?"

"We... We don't rush."

"That's right. Very good."

He gave Thor another finger anyway, along with more oil. He would be so open, so wet and warm, so perfect...

It took all of his self-control to be gentle and careful, pushing his fingers apart to stretch him, reaching a little deeper to find the magic spot.

Thor cried out when he found it, body jerking.

"Ssh... You don't want to wake anyone up, do you? You don't want a maid walking in and finding you panting and wanton with my fingers buried inside you, do you?"

"No, but... Oh, sir, again, please, do that again..."

"You had not found that yourself?"

"No. That's why I need you to show me, to teach me..."

Loki struggled with his trousers, trying and failing not to get oil on them. Thor moaned quietly at the sight of more bare skin, especially when his erection sprang out from his small clothes.

"Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes."

"I need you to ask for it, Thor."

Why? Would that soothe his conscience, knowing that Thor had wanted it? Would he use it as a defence when caught, that he had begged and pleaded for it?

"Sir, please. I want you to take me. I want you to fill me up."

He sighed and crawled over his pupil, his beautiful, awful pupil, and reached down between them, the head of his cock brushing against Thor's skin. Thor tensed up instinctively once more.

"Relax. If you want this, you need to relax and let me in."

A few deep breaths, and he felt the give, the muscles opening and letting him push in, slowly, gently, inch by inch.

"Oh..." Thor breathed. "Ohh..."

A steady glide, a long push, and finally Loki was completely within, Thor's mouth open in wonder.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded, his breath coming in desperate gasps. His hands gripped the sheets, knuckles going white.

"Thor. Speak to me."

"I... I'm so full."

"It's your first time, that's normal. I'm going to move now, but don't worry, I'll go very, very slowly."

He was half talking to himself, reminding himself that he needed to be careful and gentle, even as his first instinct was to rut quickly into the perfect heat of Thor's body.

Pull back, slide in. Pull back, slide in. Thor let out a little sigh on each thrust and began to angle himself upwards instinctively, gasping as Loki began to speed up, his actions growing smoother.

"Ah... Ah, sir..."

"You see, a little patience and it grows better."

"Mmm... Oh, yes, it's good. Am... Am I doing it right?"

Loki chuckled and leant forward to speak into Thor's ear.

"You are perfect. You're tight and warm and beautiful. You don't have to do a thing except take what I give you and feel pleasure from it."

He couldn't resist, he sank his teeth gently into the shell of Thor's ear, nibbling it and feeling Thor's body clench in response.

"Kiss me?"

How could he refuse? Thor was greedy and strived for more, moans growing longer as Loki changed his angle, searching for it, the right spot.

He knew he'd found it when Thor yelped against his mouth, throwing his head back against the pillow.

"That's it, isn't it? That's what you need."

"Please... Oh, sir, there..."

He didn't really need to ask. Loki wanted nothing more than to see him spill, to feel his body tighten even further.

Thor moaned as Loki wrapped a hand around his cock, such a familiar position for them, but so different too.

"There, now, come on. Let me feel it."

Pink cheeks, mouth open around moans he was trying so hard to stifle, body being shaken with every thrust, his muscles twitching, oh, so good, so perfect, Thor...

His climax seemed to last and last and Loki fucked him through it, his muffled cries growing almost hoarse with sensitivity.

Loki didn't mean to spill inside him. He meant to pull out. But a twitch, a clench, a little whisper of "sir..." and he was lost, gasping as he shoved deep, filling Thor up.

They panted at one another for a moment before Thor leant forward, laying a soft kiss against Loki's lips.

"I knew you wanted me. Think of how much fun we will have now, sir."

Loki pulled out, a faint frown on his face. After the glow of orgasm, the concern was back.

Thor laughed and kissed him again.

"Go to bed, Thor. Your own bed. Long day tomorrow."

"Happy Christmas, sir."

He waited until Thor had got dressed and headed out, his gait a little different to normal, and flopped down on his bed.

How did he feel? Guilty.

But worse, he knew he would do it again.


	11. Springtime

Loki tried to resist. He did.

Unfortunately, trying is not the same as succeeding.

The first glimmers of sunshine after winter seemed to make Thor's blood run hot. He was restless and distracted, forever talking of the new lambs being born or the calves or the poultry. He wanted to be back among them and it was difficult to make him focus for the mornings when he was obliged to remain inside.

"Can't we have lessons outdoors now that the weather is good?"

"No. Finish your multiplication."

"But..."

"Young sir, the word 'no' does not mean 'persuade me', it means I have made a decision and that is final."

Thor looked almost hurt and Loki sighed. They had only had sex that first time. He had been controlling himself, being firm, allowing Thor to have his fingers and nothing more for months now.

And if he spilled most nights reliving their time together, that was his business and his shame.

"It's my birthday soon," Thor said, head bent over his work.

"Yes, I know."

"Are you going to give me a present?"

His heart stammered for a moment. There was no denying that tone, what he was angling for.

"What kind of present? A book, perhaps?"

Thor finished off his last few calculations, coming up to present them. He no longer tried to touch Loki, having learned that it was not permitted. He seemed determined to arouse him today though.

"I know exactly what kind of present I want," he said softly. "A hot, hard present. One that will feel so good inside me. I want permission to take it, to ride all night. I want it to fill me again."

Loki pretended he couldn't hear, his hands steady as he marked the finished page.

"Will you give it to me, sir? Will you fill me up? Will you spill inside me again and again until I can't help but leak? Will you bury your beautiful cock deep inside me and..."

"Bend over the desk."

Thor blinked at him for a moment, mouth dropping open before grinning. No doubt he thought he'd be getting his wish early. Bad luck, Thor.

He obeyed, nearly shaking with excitement as Loki locked the door as usual, lowering his clothes to reveal the round swell of his rump.

Loki ran his hand over it, unable to resist.

"I knew it was a mistake to give into you," he said softly. "I should never have done it."

"Sir, but..."

 _Smack._ A hard one too, making Thor groan.

"Don't interrupt. I shouldn't have done it. Just that one little taste and you've become a dreadful slut, haven't you? Answer me, how often do you fantasise about being fucked?"

Gasps and panting. "All the time, sir. I want it all the time."

"Hmm. Let me see here."

He pulled Thor's cheeks apart, holding back a gasp when he saw the little ring of muscle, pink and swollen today. Sore.

"Thor, have you been playing with your hole this morning?"

"I... No, sir. Last night, sir. I just wanted to be full and my fingers weren't long enough..."

He was breathless, trying not to let his voice give away too much desire.

"What did you use? What did you try to put inside yourself?"

Embarrassment was radiating from Thor, like he had been caught in the act.

"The handle of my hairbrush. But it was too thin, I wanted more of a stretch and so I... Er..."

"Yes?"

"I used my riding crop. The grip is thick and hard and I thought it would be a good substitute."

"And you did it again and again and wore yourself out. Even if I wanted to give you my fingers, I wouldn't. Not while you're in this state. No, you need something more soothing than that."

Without warning, he dropped to his knees and ran his tongue in a long swipe through Thor's cleft, getting a squeak and then a moan. A few more passes and he moved up, dragging his tongue only over Thor's abused hole, feeling as the muscle began to quiver and twitch.

Thor was moaning, muffled slightly, like he was using his arm to stifle it. Good boy. Loki reached around to find his cock hard and leaking, but his angle wasn't particularly good.

"Thor, I want you to take yourself in hand. Stroke your cock, make yourself spill while I use my mouth on you."

"More...."

Loki chuckled and felt the clench, finally trying to stick his tongue inside, noisily kissing and sucking, even nibbling the sore flesh. So much for soothing.

But Thor was loving it. He twitched and gasped, greedily pushing back for more. He really was insatiable.

And it didn't take him long to spill either, making the most peculiar sound. Like a mixture of a moan and a laugh. Loki sighed a little and gave him one last gentle kiss before standing up, his hands roaming and kneading Thor's flesh.

"You must take better care of yourself," he said. "Fingers are alright as long as you're careful, but I don't want you using anything else. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Good. Run along. I'm sure there are lambs needing your attention."

He wiped up Thor's spend as he redressed and then stood by awkwardly.

"Is there something else?"

Thor shrugged, affecting nonchalance badly.

"I wondered if you might want to... to come and see the lambs. I don't believe you get them in the city."

"Not live ones, no."

It was sweet, really, the way Thor shuffled his feet, like a young man trying to ask his sweetheart to take a walk with him. It would be cruel to refuse really.

"Alright," Loki said. "But I reserve the right not to touch them."

Thor beamed, his face like sunshine, leading the way out of the house through the yard and down towards the first barns. The first bees were beginning to flit from blossom to blossom, wild flowers sprouting in the hedgerows and the bright heads of daffodils bobbing in the light breeze. Apart from the sharp smell of dung, it was wonderful. At least the smoke in the city covered the worst of the manure.

Loki had seen sheep before, of course. Stupid creatures with their strange eyes and flat heads. They used to be driven through his home town when he was a boy, on their way to London and market.

But he had never been do close before, let alone to new young. There were several ewes in the barn, each in a separate hastily built pen of scrap wood.

"These are the last pregnant ones," Thor said. "We're just waiting for them to be ready. And these are the newborns, nearly ready to go out."

He stepped into one pen, setting a mother sheep scurrying out of his way as he approached, her tiny lamb gambolling after with its tail waggling. They seemed curious little things, climbing and jumping, butting things.

"How old are they?" Loki asked.

"Oh, a few days at most. If there's no issues, we take them outside. Here, I'll show you."

He seized the lamb easily, picking it up by its front legs, causing a bleat of surprise. The ewe followed, apparently undisturbed by this, as Thor opened the front of her pen and set off down to the field where the other sheep were.

"Won't she attack you?"

"No. This one's had babies before, she knows what's happening. Can you open the gate for me?"

The other sheep watched warily as he entered, chewing noisily, their lambs running around. The new one stood on shaky legs, staring at the ground for a moment before sprinting off.

"Never seen grass before," Thor said as the ewe calmly rejoined the herd. "Or outside. I think that's how I'll feel in Europe. Like I'm out of the barn and in a field for the first time. Seeing a new sky."

An unexpectedly philosophical remark from his base little pupil. Loki was almost surprised. Almost. In truth, he suspected there was rather a lot of depth in Thor, if he could be coaxed into letting it out.

"Can I show you some more of the farm? You've not been out to see it."

"Of course. I would like that very much."


	12. Country Matters

Thor was certainly knowledgeable about the estate. He was not able to ride with his abused flesh, so they couldn't go to the far reaches of the farm, but Loki was perfectly happy taking a stroll, listening to Thor tell him all about where the different sheep had come from, the cows, the people living and working here.

"Of course, my great-grandfather was a yeoman farmer too, but my great-great uncles died without children and so he inherited all of their land and over time that became the estate. And... well, there's only me in line to inherit so I suppose I was born to it. Just lucky that I enjoy it as well."

Everyone they passed, from the grizzled men with dogs to the fresh-faced dairy girls, said hello to Thor. He greeted them all with such warmth. They clearly adored him. Maybe that was part of why he liked to be out here. These people treated him normally, like he was one of them.

But of course, he wasn't. They were going to go away for over a year and Thor would grow and change and come back perhaps a stranger.

It made Loki's heart ache a little. Still, surely Thor would learn so much, come back a refined and cultured young man. His good soul would remain and he would quickly return to the farm, especially under Odin's guidance.

"Are you looking forward to the trip?" he asked as they walked around a large field, the shoots of whatever crop they were growing already sprouting. Turnip, perhaps.

"Erm..." Thor said. "Yes and no. I'm excited to go away. But I'm scared too. It's a long time. Have... Have you done it before?"

"No, no. I may seem like it, but I could afford my studies here and then no more. I would have needed a sponsor to finance the journey and... Well, I had none."

Thor seemed concerned, or perhaps perplexed.

"I... I thought your family..."

Loki kicked a stone along the path irritably.

"No. My family live in coal country. But the local minister liked his charity. Paid for my schooling, since I was such a weak child I'd have been no help in the mine anyway. And then I received scholarships and further help until I was a man of twenty and deemed suitably finished. Between worlds, Thor. Too grand for my family. I embarrass them with my accent and my dress. But, of course, far too poor for my educational equals. Thank goodness there are always parents looking for reasonably priced tutors, that's all I can say."

Why was he telling Thor this? He didn't need to know. He'd be confused by his emotions, unsure whether to congratulate him on his escape from such a harsh life or to pity him for being unable to strive enough through no fault of his own.

"In short, I fully intend to make your grand tour worth it. I may not get the chance again and I have already waited ten years."

His cheerful tone made Thor brighten, his voice dropping low.

"And, sir, we will be travelling unchaperoned..."

"I'm supposed to _be_ your chaperone."

"Ooh, then you'll have to punish me for being indiscreet."

"I'd much rather reward you for being good."

He caught himself. This was... This was flirting. He was flirting with a young man almost half his age, suggesting that their arrangement could continue.

That was not the idea. The idea was that Thor would be distracted by the wonders of Europe, perhaps meet a nice girl to marry, forget all about their indiscretions and leave Loki with relief and peace.

But there was something else stirring in him, a part of him that wanted to enjoy this while it lasted, enjoy Thor and his enthusiasm, to be left with happy memories of his time with a brattish angel who (hopefully) grew up into a sensible and intelligent adult.

Even so, this was unacceptable. He shouldn't be doing it.

Thor seemed a little surprised himself, not used to having his advances rallied back at him.

"What happens if I'm very good between now and my birthday?" he asked in hushed tones.

"Be good and maybe you'll find out."

He was quickly running out of excuses to give himself for this.


	13. Submitting

Thor's birthday fell only a week before they began their journey, due to set off for London to purchase a suitable wardrobe. And angel was the right word for him. He was on his very best behaviour.

He finished the Odyssey and had clearly taken a great interest in it. He expressed a wish to learn the rudiments of Greek in fact. His Italian was coming on, his French too, aided by his enthusiasm for Latin. And his history... Well, he was beyond England now, beyond Britain. He would be able to contribute to any number of conversations when the time came.

The day arrived with a flurry of showers, typical for the time of year. Loki had thought that he might finally grant Thor's wish for outdoor lessons, but no matter. He would cope.

Thor was diligent all through his lessons, obedient and calm. Loki kept expecting his patience to snap, but it did not. Not even at the very end of the session.

"Alright. You did well today. We'll continue this tomorrow."

He saw the sadness in Thor's eyes, the disappointment, and yet he didn't argue. He accepted what had been said.

Loki let him get almost to the door before speaking up.

"You've been very well-behaved recently, Thor."

His head jerked up, a look of hope.

"Thank you, sir."

"Mm. So much so that I feel you ought to be rewarded."

Thor practically bounded across the floor.

"Please. Sir, please, I want it... Come to my room after dinner. Please."

Loki hesitated. Thor's chambers... If he was caught there, it would be very difficult to explain. On the other hand...

"Very well. But I expect you to do the hard work in that case."

Thor nodded desperately before scurrying off. A little rain made little difference to the farmwork.

Loki couldn't stop thinking about the evening ahead. What would Thor do? What would he want? Might he want to be the one penetrating, or did he want to be filled again as he had said?

His leg shook with nervous anticipation all through dinner - fancy fare even for the staff as they celebrated the young master's birthday, barely registering the chat about how there was to be a combined birthday and bon voyage celebration on the Saturday night.

It wasn't difficult to wait until the maids had finished their nightly business and sneak along to Thor's room. He didn't believe that Thor or Odin had staff help them get ready for sleep, though he had worked in houses where that was expected.

As such, he did not undress, but stood by the fire with his hands gently folded, as if he had one last thing to impart should someone other than Thor appear.

He needn't have worried. Thor came in and grinned, locking his door immediately and stalking towards him.

"I was worried you wouldn't come."

"We had an understanding, did we not? This is your night. Tell me what to do."

Thor gasped, his eyes visibly darkening.

"Your... Your clothes," he said. "I want them off. Take them all off."

Simple enough. Loki stripped with as much efficiency as he could, neatly folding each garment and laying them on the chair by Thor's dresser.

Thor walked around him, looking for all the world like he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

"Can I touch you?"

"Do as you wish. I will stop you if you try to do something I object to."

It was tentative, considering what else they had done. Thor's fingers brushed over his skin gently, his shoulders and collarbone, pausing to press and play with his nipples until they pebbled and then... Oh, Lord, he was dropping to his knees.

He looked at Loki's rapidly swelling cock for a moment, hands sweeping up his thighs and round to grab at his arse, pulling him closer as Thor opened his mouth and took the head between his lips.

He sucked a little too harshly, but soon relented and began playing with it, flicking his tongue over the sensitive flesh, waiting until it was completely hard in his mouth before pulling off with a smack of lips.

"There," he murmured. "Now you're ready for me. Go lie on the bed. And keep yourself hard."

"Impatient," Loki admonished, even as he obeyed.

"I'd take it dry if I could."

He stripped quickly and snatched a bottle from one of his shelves. It did not look like oil. He must have refilled an old container. Smart. Less suspicious.

Thor knelt on the edge of the bed, reaching back with slickened fingers, denying Loki the sight of his body yielding, but no matter. He could hear the faint squelching. Thor was being more careful.

"Have you done this often recently?" he asked, teasing his own cock. The thought of what they were about to do was enough to keep him aroused.

"Not since the day you used your mouth on me. You were right. I'd hurt myself. And I wanted to be good."

"I never said you couldn't touch yourself."

Thor chuckled.

"I still stroked my cock, but I didn't finger myself. I wanted to feel the loss, to make the fullness better."

"And you want to be full, do you? You want something inside you, nice and deep."

Thor moaned.

"Please, sir," he said, deeming himself ready and starting to crawl up Loki's body.

"What do you want?"

Thor took both his wrists and pinned them over his head, an act of dominance that had Loki biting his lip, intrigued.

"Talk to me," Thor said. "During it, please talk."

Loki smiled at him.

"Ah, that's right. You like to be praised, don't you? You like to be told what a good boy you are."

A whine as Thor reached back, finding Loki's cock.

"Please..." he whispered as he lined up and started to push down.

He was so tight, probably stretched only just enough, but so wet. He'd used so much oil and Loki couldn't help but moan a little.

"That's it, that's it, just relax. Yes, come on, all the way in. Very good. Oh, so good. You take it so well."

Thor panted but smiled, his hips rocking nervously.

"Get used to it. Don't go too fast, just do what feels nice."

"But I want it to be good for you."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, just.

"Don't worry about me. Everything will feel good for me. Your tight little hole, so hot and wet, just perfect for me. Take it slow. We don't rush."

"We don't rush," Thor echoed.

He began rolling, little circles and figure eights, experimenting and it all felt divine. Loki let out his moans quietly. They were in the opposite wing to Odin, and far from the servants, but it was still risky. He felt an unexpected thrill at the thought of having Thor in his own bed.

Deciding he was ready, Thor leant forward for leverage, holding Loki's wrists and starting to move properly.

"Mmm... Oh, yes, Thor, just like that."

"Yeah? It's good?"

"I told you it was. So very, very good. But it could be better. Sit up just a little and keep going."

Thor was eager, doing as he was told, stifling a cry when Loki's cock hit the right spot inside him.

"Ah... Ah, sir..."

"Keep going. I want to watch you, wanton little thing. I want to see you spill."

"I want you to spill inside me."

"Keep bouncing on my cock and I will."

Thor managed to find the right angle and set himself a moderate pace, not too gentle but not too rough either, his flesh shaking on each downward motion.

"Call me names."

"What?" Loki asked, breathless.

"Call me names. Like you did before. You called me a... a slut. Please, sir..."

Well, this was interesting.

"A little deviant, aren't you, Thor? Enjoying being called a slut... A good slut, too, so handsome and responsive. Sweet, needy little thing. Just wanting a nice, hard fuck."

Thor gasped, his hand flying to his cock and stroking.

"That's it, come while I'm in you. I want to feel you clench around me. Make me fill you up, just as you want."

Muscles shaking, biting his lip, Thor finally spilled all over both of them, babbling.

"Sir, sir, please, inside, I want it inside..."

"On your back. I'll give it to you."

Thor scrambled to obey. He'd be far too sensitive for too much, but Loki was close anyway as he pushed Thor's thighs apart and lined up, pushing until the head of his cock was held tightly in Thor's still spasming entrance.

It helped and only a few strokes later, he heard Thor moan as he felt it, pulse after pulse filling him.

"Happy birthday."

Thor laughed and reached for him, pulling him in for kisses. Like they were equals. Like they were lovers.

For a little while, Loki might let himself pretend.

He waited until Thor had fallen asleep before dressing silently and creeping back through the dark, sleeping house to his own bed.


	14. Leaving and London

Odin was emotional at the party he threw in his home for Thor's leaving, inviting all the local people to come in and share a meal with them. It couldn't be more different to the exclusive balls and salons that Thor would soon find himself in.

He gave speeches, plural, trying his best to remain composed, but his voice did shake a little as he spoke of how proud his late wife would be of their son. Loki felt a pang of guilt over it. If she'd known what was driving Thor's development, no amount of pride would make up for it.

He packed lightly, a few books for Thor to study though they would have plenty of opportunity to buy and sell others on their journey. The same was true of clothes. The outfits they would buy in London would do for Paris and Geneva, but passing the Alps would require warmer clothing, but the summer climes of Rome and Florence would be far warmer than they were used to. He took basics. The rest of his things could happily stay in his room growing dusty until he returned to claim them, along with his new qualification of having been a young man's travelling companion.

Both Odin and Thor were close to tears when the time came, and a few of the staff who came out for one last goodbye were openly weeping. The kitchen staff had prepared a rich picnic lunch for them as they made the journey across to London, pies and still-warm bread with salt beef, wrapped carefully in linen.

Loki politely pretended not to notice that Thor cried after they set off. It was his first time leaving home, of course. Loki had been itinerant so long that he'd almost forgotten the pain of leaving familiarity.

As far as he was concerned, going home would be more painful. Back to a town where he no longer fit, where his good fortune had separated him possibly irreversibly from his family. They thought he looked down on them. They thought him conceited, though of course they wouldn't use that term. Stuck-up, they'd say. And so he'd tried to speak plainly, tried not to be patronising, but they could tell he was pretending and resented it.

There was a time when he'd tried. His university studies meant he was in one place, and so he wrote letters, knowing the minister would read them to his mother. He received a few back, written in unfamiliar handwriting, probably dictated to the post master, an X at the bottom serving as his mother's signature. They'd fallen out of touch when he began to move from house to house in London.

Still, he doubted they missed him too much. He had seven living brothers and sisters as far as he knew. His career meant one less mouth to feed, one less to worry about.

Thor's eyes were huge when they arrived in London. They would only stay two nights before heading for Dover, but it ought to be enough for all their needs.

"It's so big!"

Loki laughed, but not to mock. He found Thor's wonder refreshing compared to his own familiarity.

"Get used to it. We'll be heading to cities just as large as this, if not bigger."

"There are so many people. How do they fit?"

"They don't. The overcrowding problem around here is only getting worse. Come on. I think this is where we're staying."

He stood by while Thor shared a hug with the elderly coachman, sending him back to Odin with the news that his son had arrived safely in the capital. It would be his last piece of news until Thor wrote himself.

The smoky, acrid air of the city filled Loki's lungs once more. He used to joke with himself that despite evading the mines, his chest was determined to be blackened by soot regardless.

It was a modest guest house by London standards, but certainly not cheap or improper. The clerk handed over keys with a smile as Thor frowned.

"Two keys?" he said. "We are not sharing a room?"

"They are adjacent, sir."

That did not seem to shift Thor's pout and Loki quickly ushered him up the stairs.

"By rights, I ought to be sleeping in the servants' quarters," he said. "In Europe you can find rooms you prefer, but for now be grateful."

He had barely put down his case when Thor knocked at his door, entering before being given permission.

"Lunch," he said, as though that explained him, holding up the little bundle.

Loki sighed.

"Very well, we'll eat before running our errands."

"Errands?"

"Two main ones. The tailor and the card maker."

Thor roughly broke the pie in two and offered half of it, frowning.

"Card... Why will I need cards?"

"Why? How else will grand families know you are available for invitations? We can get more done in Italy if needs be, but I believe London rates will be more reasonable than those of Paris."

"And what will they say?"

"The usual. 'Warmest compliments of Mr Thor Odinson' and then basically a veiled plea to be invited into social events and a space to write the address of wherever we're staying."

Thor snorted slightly.

"What if I want to send cold compliments? Or back-handed ones?"

"Alas, those ones must be given in person. Eat up. We should give the tailors as long as possible to make you a few standard outfits."

Thor obediently wolfed down his food and sat politely while Loki finished off.

"I'm glad you're with me. You know all the right words to say and how to be respectable. I would be bumbling left and right if I was alone."

Loki swallowed hard.

"You'll learn. Don't worry."

"Still. I'm glad that I have you with me."

Loki stood and rinsed his hands hurriedly in the tiny water basin by the window, willing his heart to calm down as he patted them dry. A tiny bit of gratitude from a spoiled brat was nothing to be flustered about.

He needed to get a grip on himself and soon.


	15. A Card-Carrying Gentleman

The tailor's assistant - or perhaps his daughter, it wasn't very clear - looked at Thor with shining eyes, rushing back and forth with measuring tape and pencil in hand to take his dimensions.

Loki was a little concerned that Thor was bustled through to look at cloth while he was being measured. He could not be trusted with this yet. They could easily palm off low-quality fabrics as expensive without Thor knowing. His trusted local tailor was quite a different soul to these city versions.

Sure enough, when Loki followed he found Thor looking wistfully at a bright red silk that would be far more suited to a lady's gown than anything he might wear.

"No."

"But..."

"No! It would be overwhelming, even just a waistcoat of it. You'd look like a cardinal."

"Perhaps a cravat, sir?" the tailor tried. "To add a splash of colour to a restrained outfit?"

Loki relented under Thor's pleading gaze. Silk cravats were acceptable, even if he did think Thor would draw unwanted attention in it. Such an incident could prove a valuable lesson in subtlety.

"Three jackets, three trousers, three waistcosts," he said. "Muted tones, one black but you may choose the others. One brocade waistcoat if you must. And a hat. You need a hat."

"And for you, sir?"

"One jacket, one waistcoat, one trouser, all black."

"But, sir... Mr Laufeyson, surely you cannot look at all this choice and have only one," Thor exclaimed. "Look, that green would suit you very well."

"My usual outfits will be fine day to day. I merely require a neater one for more formal occasions."

Thor pouted.

"Get the green too. Just a waistcoat. You need variety and I like it."

Loki looked at the dark emerald shade, picked out with gold embroidery. It was very fine.

"Alright, as you wish. That waistcoat too. And... Five shirts each. White. And two of your cheapest handkerchiefs. Thank you."

The treadle on the girl's sewing machine was already whirling as they left. Such a lot of work in a rush cost extra, of course, but Odin had been quite insistent on the importance of a new wardrobe and was willing to pay.

"I think you'll look very handsome in the green," Thor said. "It will bring out your eyes."

"It is not for me to be handsome. That's your job. Now, cards."

He knew where such items could be acquired. One did not live in close quarters with so many grand families without picking these things up. He knew that they offered photographic calling cards these days, but that they were expensive and flamboyant and that in the circumstances it would be better for Thor to choose something more classic and restrained.

Not that Thor wanted that, of course.

"Look how fine they are!"

"A novelty, Thor, that's all. And developing such images would take longer than we currently have. You can have your picture made in a variety of spots on the continent, or so I hear."

That seemed to placate him, obediently choosing a neat, restrained typeface and a simple message.

"It doesn't mention you," he said suddenly as he read over the spelling. "Shouldn't it say you as well?"

"Trust me, they will expect you to have some kind of servant with you. Listing me would just confuse them, make them thing two gentlemen are coming."

"But... But you are a..."

"Not by rank. I think it a fine choice, just right for a fine young man of sense."

And Thor smiled at that, perfectly content to place his order for the cards along with a neat brass holder for them and return to the guest house for a little supper. He was tired, visibly so, the excitement and the travel taking their toll.

"You should go to bed," Loki said softly. "Another long day tomorrow."

Thor looked at him from beneath hooded eyes.

"I was hoping we would still have time for a quick lesson," he said, voice dripping with meaning.

Loki carefully kept his expression neutral.

"Hmm. In the morning, I think. Be good and get some rest."

It was likely his imagination, but Loki could have sworn that he heard Thor pleasuring himself through the wall.


	16. Morning Lessons

Loki was roused from sleep by a quiet but insistent knocking. Thor... It was tempting to simply throw the pillows over his head and go back to sleep, but no doubt Thor would just keep on going.

Groaning, he dragged himself out of the warm blankets and staggered to the door in his nightshirt, being accosted as soon as he opened it.

Thor seized his face and drew him into a kiss, kicking the door closed as he walked him backwards towards the bed. When his knees hit the end of it, Loki forced him back.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

At least Thor had the decency to look a little guilty.

"You said in the morning..."

"Yes, not at the crack of dawn!"

Then again, they were awake now and if they got this over with, then they'd have the best part of the morning to see some of the sights before collecting their parcels and catching the stagecoach to Dover...

"Sit down," he said, going to lock the door from the inside, carefully leaving the key in. "On the edge of the bed."

Thor had had the presence of mind to pull on some trousers before going out into the corridor and Loki dropped to his knees to unfastened them and pull them off.

"Oil?" Thor asked, voice thick with want.

"No. That's not what we're doing today."

That made Thor's breath hitch, excited at the idea of new activities as Loki pushed his shirt out of the way to reveal his stiffening cock.

"What are you going to do?"

Loki shoved his legs apart and slipped easily between them.

"I'm going to suck you, Thor. Now be good and stay quiet."

He ran his tongue up Thor's length, teasing, playful, and made sure Thor noted how he looked up beneath hooded eyes, how he kept up eye contact as he opened his mouth and began to suck properly.

This was a lesson after all. He would teach Thor how to do this well, how to please with his mouth, how to open his throat perhaps...

Thor let out a small moan when he went deep, hands coming up to tangle in Loki's hair, a slight questioning look on his face. A hum of confirmation had him crying out, hips twitching.

Loki began to bob his head, fantasising a little about Thor taking control and thrusting upwards. Still, this was his first time experiencing the pleasure of a warm, willing mouth. He could learn technique later.

"Sir," Thor whispered. "Sir, please, I'm going to..."

Loki swallowed his spill, giving him a parting suck that had him gasping.

"Very good," Loki said softly. "You were very quiet."

"Now you," Thor said. "I want to do you. Let me please you."

Loki hesitated. If he tried, Thor would go too fast and would make himself hoarse.

"Not with your mouth," he said. "Lie on your side."

He arranged Thor to his satisfaction before slipping his cock between his thighs, thrusting gently.

"Clamp nice and tight around me, Thor. Ah, yes... Mmm, perfect."

It would be better, smoother, with oil, but his cock was leaking enough that the way was slightly slicked. It felt good to be marking Thor so, making his skin glisten. His grip on Thor's hip was harsh, but he seemed to like it, linking their fingers together.

"Is it good, sir?" he asked.

"So good. You're doing exactly what I need."

He was still striving to be better, pressing his legs still tighter together, creating a hot, firm channel of flesh. Before long, Loki groaned, his seed staining Thor's thighs.

He felt himself twitch fruitlessly when Thor reached down to coat a finger in it and brought it to his lips.

"Eurgh!" he said. "It's so bitter. How do you stand it?"

"An acquired taste."

He dipped the edge of a towel into his watered basin to wipe Thor clean, noting the little pout on his face.

"What's wrong? Have I not given you enough of a lesson yet?"

"Acquired," Thor said, sounding hurt. "With whom? Who did you acquire it from?"

Ah. He was delusional. What, had he thought Loki as virginal as him, even though his skills were clearly practised?

"Thor, I am thirty years old. When I was not much older than you, I had an affair with another man. That's where I learned my techniques, how to make it nice, how to reduce the risk of pain. You surely didn't think I was merely using instincts?"

"Did you love him?"

Loki hesitated.

"In a way, I suppose. But it was mainly an affair of bodies, not of minds. He was the valet of my employer at the time. And he got another job and moved away and I moved on. There's not much more to it."

"And he was the only one?"

"Of note, yes. My last dalliance was perhaps five years ago. The head maid, a widow. Lonely and in want of... physical comfort."

Thor still seemed upset.

"And your pupils, you never...?"

"No. You are the only one."

He brightened at that and Loki understood. He wanted to be special. Of course he did. An exception and therefore exceptional.

"Will you tell me about him? Your first?"

"Not today. Come now, there is much we can do before we have to leave."

"In bed? Our morning is our own, is it not? You could show me how to open, see if I can acquire a taste for swallowing..."

Loki tutted.

"You have gathered quite enough tastes to be going on with for now. Go and get dressed. We will see some culture before we go for the boat. No discussion. Be a good boy and I promise you will be duly rewarded when we reach France."

"On the boat?" Thor said hopefully.

"Get dressed!"

Thor left the room laughing.


	17. Crossing the Water

The day passed in a whirl of architecture and history, Loki virtually frogmarching Thor about the place, prompting him sometimes for dates and names of long-dead monarchs.

Of course, it didn't help that Thor was continually distracted by the most inane things. Posters. Large carts. Shop displays. It was lucky Loki was with him to slap away the hands of a young pickpocket who targeted him, clearly spotting an innocent stranger.

A simple country boy still. It was going to take a little time for him to pass as truly noble it seemed.

They made the stagecoach in good time, their new purchases collected and packed carefully. The evening tide would take them across to Calais.

It was crowded, uncomfortable, and though one or two passengers got off at each stop, they were quickly replaced so any relief was shortlived.

The worst point was when two ladies wanted to board and there were no available seats. Loki could tell Thor was about to do something gallant and polite and braced himself for the worst.

"My companion and I can sit on the roof with the luggage and allow these ladies our seats," he said. "The weather is fine and the fresh air will do us good."

They were very grateful, not even noticing Loki rolling his eyes as he struggled to drag himself up amongst the suitcases and bags. At least there wasn't far to go now, the wind rushing by was quite refreshing in fact.

And it was impossible to hold on to his annoyance when Thor saw the sea for the very first time, mouth open and eyes wide.

"Oh! Oh, look! Look!"

It was a beautiful sight. The sea reflected the sky above, sunlight glittering like diamonds and the froth almost tangible in the air.

"It's so big!"

"Indeed. And it looks like we'll have a reasonably smooth crossing too."

Thor was practically shaking with excitement, leaping down from the carriage and reaching up to help Loki down. The touch of his hands on Loki's waist was nicer than it ought to have been.

He was fascinated by the waves, watching as they changed position on the beach. They had to wait for slack water, the breeze picking up and making things a little choppier, the salt air tasting of freedom. In another life, Loki could imagine a life at sea, the open air and open water...

They set out from the coast and both got their first look at the white cliffs, huge chalk structures seeming to bob in the water, though that was really the boat moving against the waves.

"Beautiful," Loki breathed.

To think of all the creatures whose bones made up that vista, like a canvas rising out of the sea. Something perfect and unmarked. And, of course, the last they would see of England for months.

Thor vomited over the side and Loki patted his back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. Poor thing. Maybe he'd enjoy it more on the way home.

In a fit of sympathy, Loki didn't even tease him about his sudden lack of libido, looking after him until they could step off onto solid ground and head into Calais itself.

Thor asked for a room in halting but extremely polite French, still looking a little green. He eyed the food they were served with suspicion and had to be coaxed into eating.

"And tomorrow you can choose," Loki said, happily enjoying his onion soup. "A coach to Paris or a lovely boat trip down the Seine."

"No more boats," Thor said firmly. "No boats."

Loki tried not to tease him, even as he yawned at the table. Travelling and their busy morning had quite exhausted him.

It was nice to hear Thor's breathing from the other bed in their little twin room. Comforting and companionable.

Tomorrow, the real trip would begin.


	18. Onwards to Paris

Loki woke with lips pressed to his, a nice, warm feeling, his cock stirring just a little. His fingers tangled in long hair, his legs trying to wrap around the body pressed to his, but trapped by the blankets.

He grunted and awoke properly, finding Thor on top of him and grinding down.

"How long before we have to leave?" he asked.

"Mmm... It's twelve hours from here to Paris. We'll cover eight of those today, so really, the sooner we are underway, the sooner we can be in another guest house... Other beds..."

Thor seemed a little sceptical. They were in a bed right now, were they not?

Loki reached up to run his fingers more gently through Thor's hair, easing him down to lie on his chest.

"When we arrive in Paris, we shall rent an apartment and there will surely be a bed designed for two..."

"And in the other guest house?"

"Well... Eight hours will give you time to read more of the Iliad. Maybe you'll even finish it. And, of course, you will be rewarded for that."

Thor shook his head.

"No, you promised me something when we arrived in France. Please. I want you."

It sent a little thrill through him to hear it, a blatant expression of desire. It was very pleasant, he had to admit, to be wanted. He hadn't felt that in some time, not while reciprocating anyway.

"Fine," he said, affecting disinterest. "You may have my hand and be grateful for it, you greedy little thing."

Thor leapt off him and threw back the covers, straddling him once more and pushing their nightshirts out of the way, both of them moaning as their cocks brushed together. Loki gave up on fighting it and wrapped a hand around their lengths, stroking rapidly.

"What will you do to me in Paris?" Thor asked, hips rolling.

"Depends... Mm, depends how much of the Iliad you get through. The more chapters you finish, the more intimate I shall be."

"And if I finish it?"

"Then I shall push you onto the bed and kiss you soundly while I fill you up."

Thor liked the sound of that, fucking into Loki's hand and spilling quickly. Loki wasn't far behind, his way slicked by Thor's spend. Alas, there was little time for kisses and cuddled afterwards. They had to be on their way.

Hiring a coach was no problem at all, the hostess of their guest house clearly anticipating such a request. Perhaps the coachman was her brother or some other relative, the whole family profiting from the visits of wealthy young men on their way to the capital.

It was a dull journey and Loki slept away most of the first three hours while Thor made a spirited attempt at devouring his book, occasionally asking questions.

In his waking moments, Loki couldn't help but be a little disappointed that northern France looked very much like southern England. Same fields, same crops, same people tending to the land. If it wasn't for the occasional snippets of conversation he overheard, he'd not have realised they were in a completely different country at all.

Then again, he had seen pictures of the Alps, sketches and once a panorama on glass. They were different indeed to all he was used to. Even the heights of Snowdonia and the Highlands could not compare, or so people said.

Thor seemed fascinated by everything that was different and everything that was the same in equal measure. The Iliad lay in his lap, three-quarters finished, as he gazed out of the windows.

"I have never seen such beasts before," he said softly.

Loki frowned a little.

"Cows?" he asked. "But you own cows."

"Not like these. Our cows are all shorthorns. I've never seen ones like these, not even at market. I wonder what their yield is like. Good, I expect. They can focus more on that than on hardiness here, I think. The winters are not so harsh after all."

He really was quite charming in his way. He certainly knew all about his business. With any luck, he would not lose that knowledge in their time away, or at least would relearn it quickly.

Certainly in their stop to rest the horses and have a small luncheon at what seemed to be nothing more than a kitchen in the middle of the field, he went bounding off to accost a young boy, charged with keeping crows off the field by the look of him.

There was a certain amount of acting and gesturing and at one point Thor definitely mooed. The child looked to Loki for help and he approached with a sigh.

"He just keeps saying 'vaches'," Thor complained. "I want to know what kind of vaches..."

"I doubt he knows," Loki said, giving the boy a sou for putting up with them. "You should ask the cook. She might."

Not only did the cook know, but she was charmed to have a young man taking an interest, so keen to know where his food was coming from.

It was a shame as a result to learn that these were beef cattle, not dairy and therefore completely different to the ones Thor kept. Still, he was using his French intelligently even if his grammar needed work. He'd come on quickly.

Travelling seemed hard on him, a few more chapters of The Iliad finished between interest at outside and Thor was falling asleep. He managed to perk up for dinner, but the wine seemed to go to his head a little and so he went to bed without much fuss.

Which gave Loki a chance to speak with the guest house proprietor about an agent to assist in their search for lodgings. Get one on good recommendation and their quest for accomodation would go far more smoothly.

Of course, there were several to choose from but the gentleman gave a personal suggestion which Loki was only too happy to accept.

Thor was sleeping peacefully when he retired to their room, hand clutched tight to the bedsheets. Loki paused to brush his hair off his face, watching his lips twitch at something in his dreams.

Yes, they would find a wonderful place to live. Paris awaited, so very close. He could almost taste it.


	19. New Rooms

"I like this one."

"Thor, you have liked all of them so far."

"Well, they are all very fine."

The agent had been expecting them, a note sent in the first post from their guest house and a room in his office set aside to store their bags. There were six properties available still, just before the start of the main summer season, each as pleasant as the last it seemed.

"Fine is not enough, Thor. We must consider other things. Location. Aspect. The number of stairs and reception rooms."

In truth, this one - the fourth they had seen - was fulfilling many of his criteria. It was near to the Palais de Tuileries and its gardens, the great arches built by Bonaparte, the great gallery at the Louvre... All the culture he could want within fairly easy walking distance.

And, of course, for Thor there were the gardens and the great boulevard... Surely it wouldn't be difficult to find society and sport to amuse him.

As for the apartment... Well, it occupied the second floor of a relatively narrow building but it was complete with concierge and staff who would visit upon the ringing of a bell and at set times to clean. It was dominated by a large main room with huge windows to make the best of the daylight. The dining room was more modest, but they were unlikely to throw any grand parties to necessitate a larger one. The decoration was perhaps a little dated, and Loki found the pale pink wallpaper pattern of fleur-de-lis covering most of the rooms a trifle gauche if he was honest, but it was not shabby at all. Yes. It would do, once he'd haggled down the price a little.

He left Thor to explore and oversaw the arrival of their things, directing his own cases to a small adjacent room to the main bedchamber. It was clearly meant for a valet or butler. Close enough.

Once they had settled in, it would feel much more like home and less like sleeping in someone else's bed.

He found Thor flopped in one of the large wingback chairs in the main room, the fire not lit and not needing to be so early in the evening.

"Such fine furniture," he said thoughtfully, rubbing one of the arms. "I thought it was all destroyed or stolen during the Revolution."

Loki took the opposite chair, crossing his legs.

"The French Revolution was half a century ago. Plenty of time to buy new things."

"But what about the 1830 revolution? Or 1848? That is not even a generation ago."

"My commendations on your memory of the dates. I expect the French are so used to them now that recovery is swift."

Thor sat up, suddenly excited.

"Do you think we shall see one? A revolution?"

Loki looked at him incredulously.

"You sound as if you would want to," he said.

"I think it would be exciting. And you would like it, being so close to history."

"Trust me, Thor, I much prefer my violent uprisings in books where my risk of decapitation is nil. And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the French economy is very healthy at present, their empire flourishing. Unless there are a series of spectacularly poor decisions by the ruling class, I doubt you'll see the return of the sans-culottes. Now, did you finish the Iliad?"

Thor smiled widely.

"Yes, sir. Or... Nearly, anyway."

"Nearly is not the same as yes, is it?"

"No, sir. But I have read a lot of it."

"And what reward do you think you deserve for nearly finishing your set task? You tell me and then I shall tell you if you are correct in your assumption."

Thor considered this for a moment. He was clearly trying to choose the best route of negotiation. If he asked for too much, he might be punished and get far less but on the other hand, he didn't want to undersell his efforts by requesting too little.

"Please, sir, I want you to fuck me. However you see fit."

Loki was a little stunned. So abrupt. He'd expected a more euphemistic request, or at least a more expansive one.

"Well," he said. "In that case, we should go to the dining room."

Thor frowned.

"The... The dining room?"

"Yes. I have no intention of staining the fine bed linens so early in our tenancy here. I shall have you on the table unless you object to that."

Rather pleasingly, Thor's eyes were wide as plates as he leapt up to obey.


	20. Feasting

Loki dawdled in fetching the oil, determined to let Thor stew a little in anticipation. He'd packed his own supply, of course. It wouldn't do to be without, even if he hadn't anticipated using it in any of the guest houses en route to Paris. He might have needed it.

Keen not to show any encouragement too early, he held in his reaction to seeing Thor nude on the table with his clothes neatly folded on one of the chairs. He was lying back with his legs dangling from the edge, his hand already working his cock.

Loki prowled towards him and slapped it away.

"That's quite enough of that. You are forbidden to touch yourself for the next hour unless I say so."

Thor's eyes shone, a wide smile on his face.

"You think this is going to take an hour?"

Loki didn't respond to that, carefully running his hands up Thor's thighs instead and pushing them apart. He was going to do this slowly, properly. He pulled Thor closer to the curved edge of the table and gazed down at him.

Thor sat up, mouth open, so ready...

Loki pressed a finger to his lips and pushed him back down.

"No, no, no. Kissing was a reward for finishing the book, which you have not. Understandably therefore, it is denied."

He hooked his finger into Thor's mouth, teasing him by slipping it in and out a few times before withdrawing, the little frown on Thor's face sending shivers through him.

"But you _like_ kissing," he protested. "Are you really going to deny yourself such pleasure for our first time abroad?"

A brazen effort, not at all up to his usual standard.

"You think your technique better than it is."

"Well, blame my teacher if it is not."

Loki slapped him hard on one thigh, getting a moan in response. Two more in quick succession turned the flesh pink, Thor crying out playfully. It wouldn't do to let him enjoy himself too much. He might start acting out deliberately. More deliberately.

"Look at you," he murmured, running a finger down Thor's torso, starting at the dip of his collar bone and heading through the valley between his pectoral muscles, over his stomach and round his navel to trace the trail of dark blond hair almost to Thor's cock but withdrawing at the last second. "So wanton. Lying out here on the table, like you want to be devoured..."

Thor whined, his back arching.

"I hope you're prepared to wait."

He dropped to his knees and carefully rolled the patterned rug beneath the table as far out of harm's way as he could before slipping between Thor's legs.

"Remember. No touching."

That was all the warning he got before Loki started kissing up his inner thigh, tasting the salt from his skin, switching over to give the other the same treatment but never quite moving further even while Thor whined above him, needy and petulant.

He sucked a mark as he uncorked his oil before pouring it directly onto Thor's skin as well as his fingers, making him hiss slightly at the cold.

It soon became a moan though, his grip tight on the edge of the table to prevent himself from being tempted to touch as Loki slipped one digit and then another into him, pumping once, twice, before standing up.

"Now then," he said, as though talking to himself. "Where is it?"

Thor arched his back, trying to help, and Loki grinned. Oh, he would regret doing that. The little nub inside was soon beneath his fingers, letting him gently tap against it, a litany of moans accompanying his rhythm.

"More..." Thor begged, apparently not noticing that Loki's laughter had gone somewhat cruel.

"You want more? Very well, then you shall have more."

He began gently, little circles and occasional passes, enough to make Thor cry out. And then he began rubbing gently but constantly, watching hungrily as Thor's cock leaked more and more, pulse after pulse after pulse.

Thor's hand moved of its own volition, only to be caught around the wrist in Loki's iron grip.

"No touching."

He gasped and keened, unsure whether to let the delicious torture continue or beg for it to stop, almost screaming out as Loki began rubbing harder.

"Ah! Ah, sir, please! Please let me touch, let me!"

"You think you deserve it?"

"No, I... I don't know! Oh, God, please!"

Slowing a little, Loki leaned over him, watching him tremble.

"Do you want my cock, Thor?"

He nodded desperately, glowing with effort, looking as though he might have said anything if it would give him relief.

Loki undid his belt with his left hand and let his trousers drop, shuffling forward and sliding right in as soon as he'd removed his fingers, setting a quick pace straight away.

"Oh! Oh, please, sir, please..."

"You may touch yourself. Go on. Let me see you spill."

Thor's hole spasmed as he grasped his cock, stroking quickly, harshly almost, letting out a final shout as he came all over his stomach.

Loki took hold of his hips and slammed into him, finishing after just a few more thrusts and bringing out his handkerchief to clean up the mess. It was an automatic motion now.

"You did very well," he said. "You took that very nicely. Nearly let me milk you dry."

"Can... Can such things be done?" Thor asked, still breathless.

"Of course. If you like that kind of thing, the steady smoulder, the constant push without the fall, it can be highly enjoyable. It's a test of stamina, determination... But I think you prefer the explosion and the drop. Finish your next book promptly and you can be in charge."

"I liked it," Thor insisted. "It was just different and I wasn't expecting it."

It was somehow delicious to see Thor eating dinner at the very table he had been so debauched on just a short time previously, the wood practically still warm and a hidden damp smear beneath the rug.

It almost made Loki consider where else in the house he could plant happy memories.


	21. Seeking Society

"But I don't want to learn fencing," Thor complained. "I want to stay with you. Can't I do what you're doing? Whatever it is."

Loki didn't so much as look up. He was carefully writing out the address of their apartment on ten of Thor's cards in his clearest hand.

"No. You won't like what I'm doing. You'll find it very dull and to add further insult, it is socially unacceptable for you to do it. You will see your fencing master while I am delivering your cartes de visite to your neighbours in the hope that at least one of them will see a young man of fortune as someone worth knowing. Once you know people, then you may deliver your cards in person."

"But why fencing? I've never even held a sword. I would much rather ride. Isn't that an option?"

"Ah, but you are already a very able horseman, quite beyond the need for training. The idea is that you develop new skills. Run along and then this afternoon, you can tell me all about it."

Still pouting, Thor flounced downstairs and into the carriage that would take him to his first lesson.

Loki meanwhile would be travelling on foot.

He enquired of their concierge the names of the local grand families and then considered who to target. It would not do to peak too soon. Thor was rich, of course, but he was still a commoner. He couldn't expect to be granted an entrance at the house of a lord right away. They had to start lower.

His first visit was to the local salon, the place where all the grand ladies would be. Leaving a card there would be a general announcement that Thor was in the city, and the cards to individual houses would serve as more specific introductions.

Whether he liked it or not, Thor's primary value to these people was his fortune and health. He had no title, no breeding, nothing particular by way of talents. But he was rich and not prone to illness. Anyone with two or more daughters would be a fool to not look him over carefully. Any third child with no hope of inheritance or high-born marriage would surely jump at the chance, particularly when she discovered that Thor was amiable and handsome too.

Footman after footman opened the door to him, accepting the card and filing it in the shallow bowls kept in hallways for that very purpose. The most important ones went to the top so it was of no surprise to Loki that Thor's was placed somewhere towards the lower end. He was a stranger, a no-one after all.

He did catch a glimpse of one of the young ladies they would be relying upon to show interest. The bell had rung and he was just addressing the footman when rapid footsteps were heard overhead, the owner of the feet soon appearing.

She was perhaps eighteen, red hair half done, she looked hopeful for a moment. Her expression fell when she saw Loki.

"Oh..." she said before a smaller woman, the governess no doubt, appeared to pull her away.

It was an embarrassment to the house, Loki supposed. She had clearly hoped for a visitor, had come running to meet him. Presumably there was a young man involved, probably without fortune, intent on seducing her away.

He made a mental note to warn Thor away from such dalliances. He was kind by nature when he wasn't being stubborn and it would be all too easy for him to accidently flirt too much and give some young lady hope for a future with him. He'd be leaving a string of broken hearts in his wake regardless through virtue of being handsome, he didn't need to add a reputation as a libertine as well.

Young people could be most imprudent.

He only gave out six cards, feeling that was enough to go on with for now, and returned home. They would have lessons after lunch.

Was it surprising to find the fencing master in their reception room spitting with rage while Thor sat in a huff by the window? Perhaps not.

But it was exasperating to find out that in a fit of panic at being faced with a sword for the first time, Thor had reflexively punched the training assistant in the face.


	22. Necessary Relaxation

"We were testing his reflexes. A gentleman must be able to stand his ground," the fencing master barked. "I think he broke Phillipe's nose."

"You decided to test the reflexes of a young man unused to swords by making him stand in close proximity to swords?"

"They aren't sharp..."

"Did you tell him that?"

The man hesitated and Loki sighed, opening his wallet. Thor had decided he ought to keep charge of the money. A note or two ought to take care of this.

"Here. For any medical expenses along with the cost of the lesson. I will take the liberty of finding a new teacher. Good day."

A summary dismissal despite the man clearly wanting to tell somebody off for his own stupidity. Thor's French was probably not good enough to fully understand what was happening, and then they start waving swords around him? It was no wonder he'd lashed out.

"Are you angry with me?" Thor asked a little pitifully once the door had closed. "It wasn't my fault, I didn't mean..."

"Hush. I'm not angry. I'm sure it wasn't malicious. You can't be blamed for reacting without thinking when scared. Get your work. You should finish the work on fractions that we started in England."

"What about lunch?"

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. He was feeling a little strange suddenly, his head throbbing slightly. Perhaps the day had been warmer than he thought.

"Of course, you should eat first. I'm going to have a lie down for a short time. I'm sure you can carry on without me. I trust you to use your time wisely."

He rang the bell to summon food before slipping away towards his little bedroom, Thor's look of concern following him out.

He'd expected issues, he told himself. He'd known that Thor would be a duck on land to start with. Still, such an incident on the very first day? Lord above. No wonder he felt ill.

Though of course that wasn't Thor's doing. The dust of the street, the heavy smoke of the city, that's what was ailing him. That and sudden walking. When was the last time he had really walked for a long time? He'd done several hours' worth today, without breakfast or enough to drink. No wonder his body was complaining.

He lay in bed with a book, but must have dozed for he was woken by gentle knocking.

"Come in..."

Thor poked his head round the door.

"I finished my fractions, sir."

Loki stretched. Not a long siesta, but it seemed to have done him good. His headache had cleared and he felt vastly more alert. He was thirsty though and stood to meet Thor and ring the bell on his way to the reception room.

Before long, he had the work on fractions in front of him at the writing desk and a pot of tea to his left along with an envelope that had arrived addressed to Thor.

"You should open it," he said. "Your first piece of French correspondence. Quite the event."

The calculations were fine and he sat back, sipping bitter black tea and rubbing a hand over a knot he hadn't realised had formed in his shoulder. A side effect from sleeping in the carriage for two afternoons no doubt.

"It says that I and my companion are cordialement invited to the house of Madame Colline tomorrow afternoon for a promenade," Thor said. "Walking indoors?"

"It's cleaner than walking outside," Loki replied. "I expect she has a large ballroom suitable for the purpose. I also imagine that many other neighbouring families will be coming to have a good look at you. Prepare yourself for quite an examination."

Thor smiled crookedly.

"I shall wear my red cravat so they can easily point me out."

Loki couldn't help but laugh. At least Thor was aware of how flamboyant it was as fashion.

"I didn't just finish my fractions," Thor said a moment later while Loki was finishing his tea.

"Mmm?"

"I also finished the Iliad."

Loki put his cup down and moved to one of the softer chairs, settling into its softness with a gentle sigh.

"What did you think of it?"

"I liked the Odyssey better."

"Really? You don't see yourself in Patroclus, the brave, impulsive soldier?"

"No. He dies for one thing. I would much rather be Odysseus."

"Returning home to your faithful wife?"

"No! Adventure, seeing new places and meeting new creatures... The Cyclops, the Sirens... All those years spent in the arms of the beautiful Calypso."

He was looking upon his tutor, clearly meant it as a compliment, but it was not in Loki's nature to be charmed so easily.

"Thor, are you really trying to seduce me by comparing me to a nymph who kidnapped and plied Odysseus with alcohol in order to keep him forever and had to be ordered to give him up by the gods themselves?"

Thor shuffled his feet a little. Evidently that had been his plan.

"Who do you wish to be compared to?"

Loki considered that. Who indeed? There were scholars in the classics, but he would hardly say he modelled himself on any of them.

"You shall have to read more books and find a figure who suits me. And, of course, if you are Odysseus, you will have to learn not to be so seasick. Still, well done on finishing it. You're making good progress."

He let Thor wait for just a moment longer before patting his lap, inviting him in for the kisses he'd denied yesterday.

It was a wonder that the chair didn't give out under both their weights.


	23. Madame Colline

Thor was very proud of his new clothes, his newly ironed shirt suiting him very well, the bright splash of crimson at his neck actually setting off his complexion and hair to great advantage. He looked dashing and respectable, just rogueish and romantic enough with his flowish locks to tempt the young women, but with an open face and demeanor that would keep the fathers' concerns at bay.

"Is that what you're wearing?" he asked Loki.

They had read in the morning and taken long baths before lunch, making sure they were exceptionally clean and respectable and now Loki had dressed in his sober black outfit.

"It would not do to draw attention from you. How am I to keep an invisible eye on those around you if they can see me?"

"That is not what I meant. I meant that you look very handsome and that I fear I will be unable to resist you for too long."

"Well, alas, you must. If you make a good impression on Madame Colline..."

"Yes?"

"Then we shall see what prize you deserve for it."

Thor clearly thought it an indulgence to take a carriage for so short a journey, but it would be quite unacceptable to walk. Anyone watching out the window for the stranger's arrival might think Thor could not afford his own travel.

"What do you suppose she's like?" Thor asked on the way. "Madame Colline?"

"She's the matron of the neighbourhood. I expect she is kind, grandmotherly. Shrewd. She has taken it upon herself to take care of all the young women in her circle. She is investigating you, trying to make sure that you are not a risk or a ruffian. In short, I wouldn't trust her interest right away."

Thor seemed to be spooked by that.

"Don't worry, Thor. She'll find you beyond reproach. You have no designs on the virtues of any young women as far as I know."

Thor went almost as red as his cravat at just the thought. Funny really, the things that could make him blush.

It was a very opulent house to be sure, grand entrance and stairs, glittering with crystal and shining clean. Thor looked around with unabashed wonder at the frescos and furnishings as they were directed through to a large, open room.

Loki just had time to slip Thor one of his own cards to hand to the footman, announcing them in clear clipped tones.

The room turned to face them and Loki carefully kept his face stoic. This was a test of nerve of propriety, one he was worried Thor might fail. Still, no going back now.

A woman approached, dark haired and elegant, dressed modestly but not overly so. It was a relief when Thor bowed automatically. At least he had learned that shaking hands might not be acceptable, especially not with ladies.

"Mr Odinson," she said. "How gracious of you to accept my invitation."

"An honour," Thor replied while Loki looked critically at their hostess.

She was younger than he expected, but her eyes were the same sharp, birdlike ones he had come to expect. She was one to watch out for. Anything said or done in her presence would be held against his character.

"I have a few favourites that I would most like to introduce to you, though I fear they are so-called fashionably late. I'm glad you do not subscribe to such silly notions."

"It would not be good to make such a noble lady wait."

Thor's French was perhaps a little awkward, but hopefully that was charming. He was a young man and at least scrupulously polite. They would make allowances.

"Please help yourself to refreshments. The musicians are just preparing."

She bobbed a curtsey and moved on the greet her next guest, no doubt with opinions on Thor already formed.

"Music?" Thor asked quietly as they approached a table of drinks. "Is there to be dancing, do you think?"

"I imagine it's just for atmosphere. It's easier to talk when the air already has a little sound in it. And you did well with the hostess. I'm sure she'll have no qualms in introducing you to every young woman who comes through the door, pretty and plain, smart and stupid, kind and cruel. You're about to be a warm loaf of bread before a group of starving women. Try not to let them tear you apart."

Thor glanced warily over his shoulder towards the entrance where the footman was announcing a young lady, a Mademoiselle Lorelei de Sortilège. He gasped, turning away hurriedly, eyes gone very wide.

"That pretty?" Loki asked, trying not to laugh.

"No... Well, yes, but it's her chaperone," he whispered.

"What about her?"

Thor fixed him with a look of fear, of the deepest, sickening worry.

"Sir, it's Miss Jane."


	24. Passing Notes

"Stay calm. Smile. Don't make a scene. She won't want the embarrassment any more than you do."

Loki turned at Madame Colline's call and came face to face with the young woman he had seen half-dressed when he was delivering the cards. His attention was drawn to her companion though, interested to see the former tutor who had so easily captured Thor's heart.

She was pretty, he would admit that. Small but with a fine figure. If she was kind along with it, then it was no wonder a young boy might become besotted.

He realised that Thor had not responded to the introduction and surreptitiously trod on his foot to spur him into action. He startled and turned it into a bow. With any luck, it would merely look like he'd been stunned by Mademoiselle Sortilège's beauty.

And she was indeed very beautiful now he was seeing her in all her finery. Red hair pinned up elegantly and contrasting with her deep blue dress, the very latest fashion no doubt. A pale complexion, but not sickly, one that suggested she was never outside for longer than the few steps to her carriage or at least that she carried a parasol everywhere to maintain the look of it. She vaguely reminded Loki of a painting he'd seen in London some years previously. One of the young artists working there had a real fixation on pale, red-haired women.

Her eyes though... Loki was wary of the sparkle in them. That was not the excitement of a young girl meeting a handsome stranger. There was something more calculated there.

"Why don't you two begin the promenade?" Madame Colline suggested.

Or rather insisted. Loki was glad that Thor didn't try to protest, though his expression spoke of panic when he realised Loki was going to watch from afar and not accompany them.

No, he was going to talk with Miss Jane a little and find out all about her charge with the sparkling eyes.

He nodded to get her attention, enough that she would see him but in a way that left their respective gazes turned towards Thor and Lorelei to mark their progress.

"I gather you've met Mr Odinson before," he said in English, very quietly. Discretion was key here, after all. It was a delicate subject.

A pause.

"He's spoken about me?"

"In glowing terms. He told me that he wished to marry you and only his father got in the way. But then he confessed that he had not in fact established whether or not you welcomed his suit before announcing his plan. I assume therefore that it was a one-sided affair?"

She sighed and turned to take a glass from the table behind them, obscuring the rapid movements of her lips.

"Thor is a sweet boy, but I swear, I didn't encourage him. He was my first pupil. I had only just come from schooling myself and suddenly I was all alone with the only young man I had ever spoken to in private. In truth, I feel I was pushed into the role before I was ready. I didn't know how to teach boys, I didn't know exactly in what he was supposed to be tutored. And so I was wary of him, wary of upsetting him in case I lost the post and so I tried to be kind in the hope that he would somehow learn along the way. I had no idea that he was mistaking my kindness for any kind of improper affection. I know what they must say about me. My career in England was ruined by it. No-one wished to allow their sons near a husband hunter or allow their daughters to be taught by one. Still, the French do not care so much for such things. I have tutored nearly half a dozen young ladies in the months I have been here. It was perhaps a blessing in disguise."

Loki felt a pang of guilt. She had done nothing wrong, except being out of her depth a little. He was the one corrupting Thor, debasing him, and getting away with it...

"I believe you. He is challenging at times. Especially when he gets an idea in his head. "

"I cannot hold a grudge against him. He did not act in malice. Still, I'm amazed you got him speaking French in such a short time. My compliments. Your approach was more successful than mine."

Loki watched as Lorelei laughed and playfully tapped Thor on the arm. Judging from Thor's bemused response, he hadn't been trying to be funny.

"Tell me about your pupil," he said.

Jane sighed. The weary sigh of habitual tiredness. She was not the ideal student then. It seemed Miss Jane had no qualms about potentially upsetting this one.

"Lorelei is the ward of my employer. An orphan that he has kindly taken into his household."

Illegitimate, Loki surmised. Living in her father's house, adopted or close enough. Not quite a lady, but everyone would be far too polite to point that out.

"She is bright. Learns quickly. Doesn't really need me as a teacher. I'm more of a guard dog. She's spirited. A little too spirited sometimes if you understand."

"There's a young man."

It wasn't a question. He had seen her yesterday, the clear expectation of a visitor. There was a lover involved.

"Mm. Isn't there always? He's not a bad soul, but he's an adventurer. He believes he will love and leave her, but she won't let him go so easily. In truth, she is more intelligent than him, or at least more devious. Any time he starts to lose interest, she is conspicuously seen flirting with another until he crawls back for the sake of his pride. She'll get her proposal soon enough if I'm any judge. That's all the master cares about, that she's married off. I don't think he cares what kind of man does it or even if she's happy so long as it's done."

Loki watched Lorelei bat her eyes at Thor for a moment. Yes, he'd be the perfect target to make a lover jealous. Rich, handsome and innocent to the ways of society. He would never suspect another motive for her flirtation and his heartbreak would be real enough to give the other man a real sense of triumph.

"Ought we keep them apart then?" Loki asked.

"It depends. She wanted to meet Thor, see if he would suit her needs and then send a card tomorrow inviting him to a dinner with other nobles in the area. More formal than this, it will introduce him to several who consider themselves too grand for the promenade."

That would be very useful. Connections were important, after all.

"Thor is resilient," he said carefully. "I'm sure he will cope with a young woman making eyes at him even if it comes to nothing."

"You'll just have to make sure he doesn't propose. She might consider him a bigger prize and accept."

Loki chuckled. Yes, he did have form in that area. He'd have to be very careful to keep Thor's emotions tempered, his expectations low.

Still, this would be a learning experience. He would learn that not everything - or everyone - was what they seemed.

He wandered about the room, listening to snippets of conversation. Thor himself seemed to be receiving both admiration and curiosity, the handsome foreigner in the bright cravat. More than one mother lamented that his attention was being so monopolised and in such a wasted manner too.

But he seemed happy enough with Lorelei, walking with her and sitting with her for the whole two hours. They could be sure of an invitation and the company that would bring.

Thor even kissed her hand as they parted, an almost overfamiliar gesture that brought a pretty blush to her cheeks, though her eyes showed only pride. Loki found Jane's gaze and shrugged at the inevitable coming to pass.

Young would do as young does, in all its sweet stupidity.


	25. Dampening Spirits

"Wasn't she beautiful?" Thor sighed in the carriage on the way home, his eyes far away and wistful. "Wasn't she wonderful?"

Loki resisted the urge to outwardly scoff. This was a delicate subject and therefore required careful handling. An important lesson was to be learned here and mocking would not soften the blow.

"Indeed, Miss Jane and I had a most edifying conversation. She is quite remarkable."

He only said it to watch Thor's jaw drop, to hear him stammer, to watch the guilt bloom over his face at being caught moving on from his would-be fiancée so easily.

"Well... Well, yes, of course, Jane is lovely and very clever too, but... But you said she wasn't interested in me."

"She isn't. I'm merely teasing. I'm sorry, I thought you liked to be teased. Maybe you only like it when in jest."

Thor frowned, confused by his harsh tone as their carriage stopped outside and they headed indoors, the smell of their waiting dinner drifting down to them.

"Are you... jealous, sir?"

Loki laughed, getting out his key.

"Hold that thought, Thor. Let me at least sit down before trying to split my sides."

It was a simple meal. Loki hadn't been sure whether or not to expect a buffet at Madame Colline's so he had requested a stew of whatever meat they had with boiled potatoes. Hot and filling and wholesome. Just what they needed for what would no doubt be a rather painful conversation.

"Well," Thor blurted as they sat, Loki pouring wine. "Are you jealous?"

"Of Mademoiselle Sortilège? Not in the least. Why should I be?"

Thor shrugged and looked away awkwardly. He evidently didn't want to explain himself but had walked right into it.

"Because I like her and I like you and you... And so maybe you might be jealous that I like someone else as well. In case I liked her better."

Loki speared a piece of carrot and carefully chewed it, letting Thor wait.

"Your feelings are no concern of mine."

"So if I told you that I loved her and I never wanted to touch you again, you wouldn't care?"

The hurt in his voice was palpable. He truly wanted Loki to care about him. He wanted him to be jealous.

"I would be disappointed, I will admit that. I had imagined many more nights of panting and moaning lay in our immediate future. I would hope that I had proved myself worthy of your touch and that I am skilled enough to keep you sated. That said, were you to to call a halt, I would respect your decision. However, regardless of our more debauched activities, I would counsel against becoming too close to Lorelei."

Thor seemed surprised.

"Why?" he asked. "I thought she was nice. She was certainly very friendly. Talkative and interesting and funny. As I said, I liked her. And I think she liked me too."

"Good. Miss Jane told me that we should expect an invitation to dine at her home by the end of the week and I intend that we accept. But she also told me that her pupil has an attachment already and that she enjoys making her lover jealous by flirting with other young men. I fear you are merely the latest in a chain, Thor. The latest in a line with which she means to hook herself a husband. I rather feel her apparent interest in you may be almost entirely artificial."

Silence greeted that, only the sound of their cutlery filling the air. The rest of the meal passed in silence in fact. Thor was sulking. Upset.

"Now, now," Loki said, finishing his glass of wine and standing up. "You mustn't be so hard on yourself. You weren't to know. I only found out because Miss Jane told me."

He walked around the table and put his hands on Thor's shoulders, rubbing them gently.

"Why would she need to make him jealous?" Thor mumbled.

"Why did you want to make me jealous?"

Thor went tense beneath his hands.

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do. You thought that if I was jealous then I would want to please you. That I would let you get away with things, grant any request made, let you have your own way. She wants her young man to marry her so she invents rivals to spur him into action."

Thor sniffed.

"I think that's awful," he said. "It's unfair that she did that."

Loki sat on the edge of the table, his hands folded in his lap.

"Think of it from her perspective. It is more difficult for a young woman than you imagine. She has no breeding, no money of her own and no power to forge her own destiny other than her youth and beauty and intelligence. The young man uses her ill, he delays their engagement beyond what is respectable and leaves her at the mercy of gossip and slander. She must urge things along where she can."

"She should have been honest about it from the start. I... I thought she liked me, not that I was a tool for her to spur her lover into marriage."

He was genuinely upset and Loki found himself a little surprised by it. He'd only met the girl once, for goodness' sake! His heart could not be broken so easily, surely.

Then again, no-one had ever been sneaky with Thor before. Any conflict he had faced had been open and obvious, not hidden away behind kind words and false interest. Even his own manipulative streak with which he'd charmed his was through life was painfully obvious. Everyone knew they were bring played, but just couldn't bring themselves to thwart him somehow.

"Come here," he said softly, parting his legs and encouraging Thor to stand between them.

He ran his hands carefully over his arms and sides, reaching up to tug his cravat loose.

"Sometimes the world is cruel and people too, and that is a difficult lesson. But I truly don't believe she was malicious. Not many young men wear their hearts quite so much on their sleeves as you do. I'm sure she doesn't know the pain she is causing. Will you be alright to see her again?"

Thor took a deep breath.

"Will her society be useful to us? To me?"

Loki nodded and Thor sighed.

"Then I must be. It is not for a few days yet. I will get used to the idea and prepare myself for it."

Loki stood up, knowing there would be no space between them now, and softly kissed his lips.

"Very wise. You did very well today, made excellent use of your French. Would you like me to take you to bed?"

"The big bed?" Thor asked, brightening up slightly.

"Mmm. Why not? Let's see if we can cheer you up a little."


	26. Giving

Thor's bed was large, high and plush, complete with drapes all around in rich damask, finer even than the one he owned. Loki was contemplating it as Thor stood behind him hands roaming and an unmistakable firmness grinding against him.

"You've had quite the week of culture shock, haven't you, Thor?"

"Mm-hmm..."

"Feeling so out of control of your daily life, everything a surprise... I think you deserve to be in charge today, since you've been doing so well."

Thor let out something close to a whine next to his ear and grabbed his hands, placing them on his chest.

"Off," he murmured, stepping back, presumably to deal with his own clothes. "Take it all off."

"What do you want?"

The question seemed to affect him, a little gasp slipping out. Or maybe that was him contemplating just what to ask for when given such carte blanche.

"I want your mouth. I want to be on all fours and you use your mouth and then open me and take me like that, from behind."

Loki could almost see it now, the arch of Thor's back, the muscles in his shoulders tensing up, the way his flesh would shake... Ooh, yes, this was a wonderful idea.

"Very well. I will need one or two things first though. Don't worry, I'll handle it. Where is your oil?"

He found it, as expected, next to Thor's washbowl, and took his towel as well.

"For under your knees," he said. "So we don't stain the sheets too much."

Thor had already positioned himself and Loki couldn't resist gazing at him, the anticipation buzzing through him. Thor was affected too if the way his cock was twitching between his legs was any indication.

"Mmm... All spread out for me."

A shuddering breath.

"Yes, sir. Please, sir."

He let himself be manhandled just a little for the towel to be put in place. And they were going to need it.

"Now, be good," Loki said, running a hand down Thor's back before slipping off the bed. "I want you to be clean before I make you dirty."

"What?"

Loki dipped a rag into the wash bowl, fresh, clean water for the morning, and barely squeezed it. Instead he rushed back to the bed to run it between Thor's cheeks, sending rivulets streaming down his thighs.

"Ah! Ah, it's cold..."

"Stay still. Good boy."

He knew Thor was already mostly clean. He'd taken a long bath before their afternoon visit after all. But this was mainly for sensation. The chill, the water, if would feel different to anything else they had done so far... He wrapped the rag around his index finger and gently pushed _in,_ watching how he could make Thor's hole grip the cloth and hold it tight.

"Sir... Sir, please, I need..."

"Yes, I know. You were very still for me and now you deserve your request."

He couldn't help but let out a little gasp as he pulled the rag out, watching as Thor's muscles clenched around nothing, tossing it over his shoulder onto the floor to collect later.

And then he settled his stance, leant forward and licked hard, pressing along every inch of Thor's cleft, knowing how the evaporating water would make his tongue seem almost hot in contrast.

Thor moaned, greedily pushing back as Loki took a firm hold of his hips, licking and kissing the sensitive flesh, adding a slight nip of teeth when he thought Thor ready for it, getting a pleased yelp in response.

"No, no, please," Thor gasped when he drew back. "Please, more..."

"Do you want more or do you want my fingers now?"

He laughed as Thor groaned, unable to decide.

"You can always change your mind," he said, breath making goosebumps rush over Thor's flesh. "I could make you spill like this."

"No. No, I want to be full. I want your fingers. Please."

Loki uncorked the bottle of oil and set about opening Thor up further.

"So polite," he said as he worked. "So well mannered too. Quite the young gentleman, aren't we?"

"If... If you think so, sir."

"I don't just think it, I know it. Always asking so nicely for what you want."

Thor took the hint and ran with it.

"Please may I have another finger, sir? Please will you stretch me, get me ready? Oh! Oh, please, there..."

By the time Loki decided Thor was suitably prepared, his arms were shaking with the effort of holding himself up.

"You can relax. Put your head down, go on. Just keep your hips nice and high for me."

"No, I... I want it like this."

Well, if he was sure. Loki carefully lined up and pushed in, moaning out and running his hands up Thor's back. His flesh was so warm, his skin so smooth...

He started slow, gently undulating thrusts, but then Thor began pushing backwards, using his arms to put force into his motions until they were slamming together, both crying out.

Loki's patience snapped suddenly, grabbing Thor's hips and speeding up, reaching around in an effort to finish him but not managing soon enough. His own arousal had been growing for too long to hold off. At least Thor moaned happily when he spilled deep inside.

"On your back. Let me take care of you."

Thor's face was red with effort, his chest heaving as Loki lunged for his cock, taking it into his mouth easily. He could distantly hear Thor pleading, but he didn't need to hear the words. He knew what he wanted, swallowing everything he had to give.

Well, almost everything. In fact, he'd had quite a wicked idea.

He looked up at Thor and crawled up his body, seeing his faint look of mistrust and smiling down at him.

Thor let Loki kiss him, feeding him a little of his own spill from his tongue. Not that he seemed to mind. In fact he moaned into it, his hands exploring Loki's body once more as he settled down on top.

"Does it still taste bad?" Loki teased.

"Yes. But I can handle it. Maybe I will acquire that taste one day. Eventually. Perhaps."

Loki chuckled at him, relaxing into his arms. It was an unexpectedly pleasant place to be.

"Will you sleep here tonight?" Thor asked. "Please?"

He hesitated. On the one hand, lying here, being held, it sounded divine. But then again...

"I shouldn't. We could be caught. Even with the drapes, all it would take is the maid coming to wake you for breakfast and we would be discovered. There's no lock. It's too dangerous."

Thor didn't argue, just continued his slow stroking of Loki's back.

"Have you ever shared a bed with someone?"

"With a lover for the full night? No. No, it's never been a possibility."

Thor hummed lightly.

"Then it would be something new for both of us. If it were possible."

Loki let that thought hang in the air for a moment before getting up, giving Thor a light peck on the lips before gathering his things and heading for his own chamber.

There was no point in dwelling on impossibilities.


	27. Dinner at Lorelei's

Thor had taken on a surprisingly philosophical approach to Mademoiselle Sortilège and her orchestration of events by the time the invitation to dinner arrived on neat but florid stationery.

"I will help her," he announced. "I will not be overtly flirtatious but I will behave as though very interested. I will make her lover jealous. Then she will be married and happy and no-one else will ever be used in this affair."

Privately, Loki didn't believe she would be happy as such, but Thor seemed to have brightened up, so he kept that to himself.

Thor took to his second fencing tutor far better than the first, apparently enjoying himself immensely in his first lessons. He'd been told his stance was very good and been praised for his grace, apparently not a compliment he received very often.

And that meant Loki was free to do as he wished for at least two mornings a week.

It was heaven. Even the reduced art collection of the Second Empire was stunning. It would surely take months to see everything the museum had to offer. Months that he had now. He couldn't even imagine the scale that would have existed under Bonaparte before many looted pieces were returned to their rightful owners. He had spent hours wandering the Roman and Greek galleries alone, getting sore feet and tired legs as he imagined how wondrous the statues would have been before time and mistreatment robbed them of limbs and noses and sometimes heads.

All in all, he was very happy in their little nest, so much so that he was even willing to let Thor lend him a cravat for the dinner. It was a deep blue one that he didn't really believe suited him, but it made Thor happy.

Of course, he was not invited to the main table, finding himself downstairs with Miss Jane and the other servants. He got the distinct impression that she was glad to have someone to talk to. The life of a governess was a lonely one, especially when forced to obey most of the whims of a student like hers.

"Lorelei insisted that Thor be sat beside her," she told him. "And she placed some of the worst gossips nearby so word of their apparent mutual interest will spread quickly. She has done this before though, so I doubt it will harm Thor's reputation too much. Some will say he is rather naive, but I'm sure that will be forgiven."

"I informed him of her scheme. He was most upset by it, but I think he's moved on."

"Well, if he hasn't changed too much since I last saw him, he feels things strongly. I just hope he lets her down easily. She's terribly easily offended."

"Apparently he plans to go along with the advances until she is engaged. Some philanthropic idea of protecting other young men from being unwitting pawns."

That seemed to make Jane very nervous.

"Sigurd is expected back within the week, so he won't have long to wait, but I would advise Thor against it. Both of them are fond of melodrama. He could get into real trouble."

"Well, then I suppose we will just have to move on to Geneva sooner than expected. I would be loathe to, but better that than a scandal."

Although not invited to the meal, he was expected to go up for port and look after his young master. According to the men who had waited on dinner, Thor seemed to have had his time thoroughly monopolised by Lorelei but the ladies had all now retired. He was a little lost, having not been formally introduced to anyone beyond an exchange of names.

Which, alas, had trapped him with Lorelei's father. Guardian. Whatever.

Loki snuck into the room, nodding politely to one of the footmen as he collected his glass and tried to take stock of the situation. He caught sight of Thor looking frightened and confused, having a rapid stream of French spoken at him. Something about his conduct not being suitably robust and outrage that he had not accepted a cigar, a real offence it seemed.

As the person who would be kissing Thor later, Loki was quietly pleased that he hadn't indulged and swallowed his port in one gulp before swooping in to rescue him, all apologies and excuses about an invented need for an early night. They were the first to leave, which was possibly unwise or impolite, but Loki couldn't bring himself to care too much.

"No doubt Mademoiselle will be completely in love with you now that her father has taken a dislike," he said in the carriage home.

Thor's face was slightly ruddy from the drink, giving a sense that he had nervously taken one too many glasses at dinner, and he frowned sluggishly.

"Why would she like that?"

"Some girls do. She seems the type."

"Hmm. He's not her father though, he's her guardian."

"Officially, yes, but I rather think her lineage is an open secret. Not that you can ever admit that you know. You can see the dirty laundry but you must never acknowledge that it isn't perfectly clean and starched."

Thor sighed and shuffled across the seat to lean on him, eyes falling shut.

"I have so much to learn about the world," he mumbled. "Sometimes I don't think I'll ever understand how it's all supposed to work."

Loki laid a gentle kiss on his head. Poor thing. Quite exhausted. An early bedtime was probably a good idea after all.

"You don't have to. Not completely anyway. Just enough to get through it."


	28. Sigurd

It turned out to be a good thing that he had refused to sleep in Thor's bed, for a few days later a maid arrived to wake Loki in the early hours of the morning, clearly in some distress.

"There is a man downstairs demanding to see Mr Odinson," she said, wringing her hands. "He's very angry and he won't leave. We don't know what to do."

She'd done the right thing coming to him. He'd handle this, pulling on a shirt and breeches before following the sound of angry Frenchman into the foyer.

The stranger was a dark-haired man, medium height and build, dressed in riding gear as though he had freshly arrived back in town. The mysterious Sigurd no doubt.

"You!" he yelled as soon as Loki came into view. "Are you the scoundrel?"

"I assume you are referring to my employer. He's still in bed, like most sensible people at this hour."

He was visibly furious, trembling with rage.

"I came as soon as word reached me that the blaggard was trying to steal my Lorelei away and I am here for justice."

It was far too early for this level of noise. Loki pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look, just marry the girl and be done with it. That will solve all your problems."

"No! I demand reparation."

He ripped off one of his brown leather gloves and hurled it at Loki's feet. It was probably meant to be impressive, but Loki rolled his eyes, keen for this farce to be over.

Unfortunately for him, the raised voices had roused Thor and he appeared at the top of the stairs, yawning and looking slightly sheepish. Sigurd snatched up his gauntlet and rushed to meet him, slapping his sleepy face with it.

"Ow..."

"I challenge you to a duel! On your honour, sir, you will accept."

Oh, dear...

"No," Loki said firmly. "No duelling. We can sort this out sensibly..."

"You challenge me? Very well, I accept," Thor said..

Loki stared at him in unconcealed horror. He could not fight a duel. He doubted Thor had ever so much as been in a fistfight.

"Pistols, one week from now."

"No!" Loki tried again. "For a start, the common rules state that the challenger does not choose the weapon. Not that it matters because..."

"I choose swords," Thor said. "Rapiers. One week from today."

Loki was going to strangle him. How could he be so foolish? He bundled Thor back upstairs before they could choose a location, despairing openly.

"You stupid, ridiculous _boy_ ," he said pushing Thor down onto the chaise. "You impulsive little... You're going to get hurt."

Thor looked up at him, a little defiantly. He hadn't liked being reminded of his youth in such an insulting manner.

"I won't. It will be fine. You just worry too much and you're so tense..."

"Of course I'm tense, you could lose an eye. You could be scarred for life, you could be severely injured, you could contract an infection and die..."

Thor shrugged. It really brought home how young he was, still with that sense of immortality that young men had. No risk was too great. No potential regret too much. And for what? Honour? As if anyone really cared that he had 'lost' Lorelei's affections. 

"Maybe I'll win and defend my honour. Apparently I'm a natural swordsman."

"You do not so much as possess your own sword to practise with. Besides, even if your skills were enough - which I severely doubt - you can't win! You mustn't win. If you win, you'll have to marry Lorelei. Propriety will demand it."

He groaned when Thor actually seemed to be considering it.

"Thor... Listen to me very carefully. There will be other cities. There will be other girls. You can do better than an illegitimate charmer. You would not suit each other. She thrives on drama and city society while you offer steadiness and village life. Therefore to protect yourself from an ill match, you would have to lose and in so doing, you will get hurt. God knows why really, but I would prefer to avoid that if at all possible."

"Then what should I do? I can't back out now. Everyone would say I'm a coward."

"Bravery is overrated, Thor. Death is a common side effect. We have a week in hand. I'm sure I can come up with some kind of solution in that time."

He rang the bell for breakfast. It was early, but there wasn't much else that could be done right away and he would probably think more clearly with something in his stomach. He ran a hand irritably through his hair, watching as Thor's expression fell from determined to concerned. The shoe of reality dropping, it seemed.

"I'm sorry," Thor said, to his credit sounding genuinely remorseful. "I wasn't thinking. You're right, it was impulsive and foolhardy of me. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Loki sighed. "And just how do you plan to do that?"

"On my knees, I thought."

Hmm. Well, it was a start.


	29. Mutual Apologies

Loki sipped his tea, pretending his hands weren't shaking.

"Don't rush. You'll only hurt yourself."

There was a muffled protest from under the table where Thor was trying and failing to take his cock all the way into his mouth. It was a pleasant sight, he had to admit, that blond head between his legs.

"Use your hand at the base," he said. "Enthusiasm is laudable but you don't need to rush. Just use your tongue... Mmm, yes. Ah, just like that."

Thor reacted as he always did to praise, redoubling his efforts and sucking hard. He stroked what he couldn't fit in his mouth rapidly and it was all Loki could do not to thrust into his mouth. They could come to that later.

"I'm going to spill," he said in warning. "You don't have to swallow, but it would be better if you did."

He could feel Thor tensing up, preparing himself for it, his technique growing sloppy. Not that Loki minded. It was still enough.

He moaned gently as he came, Thor's eyes flicking up to his face, to watch it, his throat working hard.

"Good boy," Loki murmured. "You did well. Come, drink your tea. Get the taste out of your mouth."

He could see that Thor was hard as he got up and reached for him, calmly undoing his belt.

"Alright, your turn. Now, I'm going to take you deep and I want you to thrust a little. Not too much, but a little. I'll tell you when."

Thor took a nervous sip of tea as Loki knelt in front of him.

"Won't thrusting hurt you? The back of your throat?"

"No. I like a firm hand sometimes, that's all."

He took the head of Thor's cock between his lips, swirling his tongue around it to make him moan before starting to take it properly.

He was gentle at first, bobbing his head gingerly, but then took hold of Thor's hands and placed them firmly in his hair and hummed.

"Now?"

"Mm-hm."

Thor was tentative, moving his hips slowly and without rhythm. Loki pulled off, stroking to keep up interest, and looked up at him.

"I know I said a little, but when I ask you to fuck my face, that's what I want."

Thor swallowed hard, a tentative expression on his face.

"Alright. Get... Get back on my cock."

Ooh. This was interesting.

"What was that? You want me to suck you? You want to come in my mouth?"

Thor whined slightly and Loki laughed as he opened his mouth, swallowing hard.

Thor took hold of his head and began moving, little thrusts but steady, holding Loki in place. He kept his eyes up, watching his changing expressions.

"Mmm... Oh, sir..."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, it feels so good. So fucking good."

That was nice to hear, but the sight was better. Thor looked like he'd never experienced anything better, mouth open and chest heaving. He was handsomest when he was taking pleasure.

"I'm... I'm..."

Loki sucked hard, Thor moaning out and spilling in deep pulses, his hips reflexively pumping forwards. He flopped into his chair afterwards as Loki wiped his mouth.

"I'm sorry I was so thoughtless. With the duel."

Loki glanced up, getting off the floor.

"I'm sorry I was sharp with you. Everyone makes mistakes in the heat of the moment. And I enjoyed your apology immensely. Now, run along. If you're going to be ready to fight in a week, you had best get to your lesson."

He finished the pot of tea while thinking over the predicament. What could they do?

Talking did not seem to be an option with this Sigurd. He didn't seem to listen to reason. He had decided violence was the way to solve his problems and it seemed there would be no arguing with him.

Let Thor fight? He would be hurt. It was inevitable. He couldn't hope to win at something he had only been learning for a few weeks. Injury to Thor was not something he was ready to risk.

But that left only one option and it was the one he least liked the idea of.

They'd have to invent a reason to get out of town.


	30. Fleeing

_Dear Father,_

_Sorry that I have not been writing as frequently as I ought to have. I have been very busy learning to fence and continuing my other studies. Mon français s'améliore tous les jours._

_As it happens, we have decided to move on to Geneva sooner rather than later..._

Coming up with a reason to leave wasn't too difficult. They hadn't had time to find too much society. One convenient dinner when Thor announced that due to his father's advanced age they would be moving on so as to not prolong their journey and that was that. Lorelei seemed bitterly disappointed, but it was her fault that they had to leave so Loki wasn't exactly going to lose sleep over that.

Much harder was trying to rush through everything else he had wanted to do in Paris. He decided the culture would be good for Thor and marched him around the galleries and museums every afternoon. They even managed to go to the opera and hear a new performance. It was inscrutable and strange, but enjoyable too.

Yes, he was going to miss Paris. He could happily have stayed longer, but it couldn't be helped. And this meant that they would reach Italy all the sooner. That's what he kept telling himself.

Their landlord clearly thought there was some kind of scandal behind their sudden depature and seemed glad to be rid of them.

"What is there in Geneva?" Thor asked as they were packing up. "More museums?"

"A few. I don't know so much about it, but there is the Hath. I hear it is very good. I didn't realise you were interested or I would have found out more."

"I like the paintings and the sculptures. They're skillful. It's interesting to see a skill that I do not have and am not likely to develop. And I found them beautiful, some of them."

"Well, I shall have to take you out more often."

Thor smiled. Well, why not? His mathematics were becoming solid, his writing and spelling good. It would be efficient to satisfy his own cultural needs and Thor's learning in one.

They had finally bought a carriage rather than hiring one and would be using it for the rest of their travels. They had hired a driver for this first leg, a man with an enormous red beard and a cheerful outlook, meaning they no longer had to worry about public transport. He'd also brought his own horses, which he would then use to transport himself home. Loki got the distinct impression that he had transported dozens of young men like Thor up and down the country. At least he would know the best route to reach Switzerland quickly.

He couldn't claim to be overjoyed to be back on the road, but it couldn't be helped. It was better to go and to avoid violence.

And, well, Thor's continued penitence bade well for the future. Hopefully he would think more carefully about his actions in the future. This was an important life lesson.

The air cleared of smoke almost as soon as they were out of Paris, both of them taking full lungfuls of it. Countryside air, full of the scent of soft earth and new crops and animals

"Smells of home," Thor said.

"Are you sick to be back there?"

"Sometimes. When I think of how much will change without me. I wonder if they will still accept me as they used to or if things will be different. But you're here with me. That makes it easier."

Loki tried not to worry too much about that. He was sometimes struck by his own cruelty. He used Thor, he used him ill and treated him badly. He sometimes went beyond teasing in ways that concerned him afterwards. And yet that seemed to be what Thor liked. He took any contact as intimacy.

Maybe he ought to be kinder. When Thor deserved it.

"Come here," he murmured, sliding an arm around Thor's waist, pulling him close.

A small action, but Thor sighed happily all the same as he settled in against him, head resting on his shoulder.

He could get used to that sound.


	31. Travel Sickness

Apparently Loki did not take long-term travelling well. It came as something of a surprise to him, but compared to the brief hops from the estate to London and then on to Calais and Paris, the journey to Geneva seemed unending.

A different bed every night and then the same wretched, shaky wooden interior every day. The road was dusty, the sun blaring, the scenery all too monotonous. Field after field after field... They weren't going anywhere near the Loire valley or anything else visually interesting. Lessons had to happen in the carriage, though writing was out of the question until they arrived at guest houses. Even if they could fashion a desk of some kind, ink would no doubt spill everywhere at the slightest unexpected jolt.

Mostly Loki just had Thor read to him, poems and books both fiction and not. At the rate he was going, they would need new texts to study by the time they crossed the Alps. His reading was very good now, his pronunciation of all but the most unfamiliar words sure. Constant speaking seemed to tire him a little, a blessing Loki thought he wasn't nearly grateful enough for. He found himself dozing at odd times and having interrupted nights as a result. Thor on the other hand always seemed ready for a new day.

Of course, there were breaks to be had from the carriage. Sundays, for example, when their driver refused to work and insisted on finding a mass to attend. As Anglicans, Thor and Loki's options for worship were limited by the lack of suitable churches, but in deference they would always make a special effort to say grace on the Sabbath. It seemed to pass muster with their hosts.

And sometimes being inside the carriage wasn't too bad. Although he wouldn't show it openly, Loki secretly loved the moments when Thor decided he had read quite enough for one day and wanted to indulge in rather different activities.

Keeping him quiet was the biggest challenge. Though the steady clopping of the horses' hooves gave them some protection, their coachman was far from deaf.

He did not speak a word of English, though their usually careful conversations made it seem otherwise. You could never tell for sure after all.

"Can I...?" Thor would say.

"I don't know, Thor. Can you?"

"Yes, but do I have permission?"

"One more chapter."

"But, sir..."

And then he would sigh and let Thor beg and convince and twist his arm for a foregone conclusion.

Hands were their most usual technique, since kneeling on the carriage floor played havoc with their joints and led to bruises, but sometimes Loki would pull Thor back against his body and reach around to stretch him open, one hand covering his mouth to keep back his moans as he used his fingers deep inside.

The coachman thought Loki very fastidious, washing his handkerchief every single night.

Still, even such pleasant distractions did not fully make up for the blazing heat as they made their way further and further south. He had never suffered from hayfever in his life, but the dust irritated his nose and seemed to make him sluggish and sleepy. And the bugs... They practically swarmed. He was convinced that some of them must bite and did not look forward to finding out which ones they were.

That wasn't the only unfamiliar wildlife. Thor was utterly fascinated by the grey-brown lizards that sunned themselves on almost every rock, scuttling away to hide whenever he approached and making every hedgerow seem alive with movement.

"Have you not seen newts before?" Loki asked the first time he tried to sneak up on one for a better look, the vibrations of his footsteps sending them scattering no matter how carefully he trod.

"Yes, but that's different. You see perhaps one in a summer. There's so many of these. And they're on land and so easier to see."

"Remind me to buy you a book on local fauna when we get to Geneva."

_If we ever get to Geneva..._

The first thunderstorm felt like a fever breaking.

The clouds began to gather in the early afternoon, large and fluffy on the horizon but soon becoming dark and portentous, like one side of the sky had turned to night early.

By the time they arrived at their stop for the night, the heavens had opened, rain falling in great sheets, dancing over the land, taking the edge off the heat of the day without it becoming cold.

Loki leapt from the carriage to stand in it a moment, arms outstretched when the first bolt of lightning hit a few miles away, the deep rumble of thunder answering it moments later.

He was dripping and laughing as they carried their bags inside, hair curling loosely as he dried off over charcuterie and leant over to speak softly to Thor.

"Follow me up to my room when we're finished here. I have need of you."

He was almost sure he saw Thor's eyes darken in the next lightning flash.


	32. Storm

Loki threw his window open, inhaling deeply, letting the sound of the rain in along with the deep rumbles of thunder.

Thor entered without knocking, locking the door behind him automatically. Loki looked him up and down, something primal rising up inside him as Thor approached, grabbing him to pull him close as soon as he was within range. His hands strayed down to grab his arse through his trousers and Thor moaned appreciatively, leaning into kisses.

His hands were clumsy trying to get Thor undressed, a real sense of urgency taking over him. He practically snarled when Thor seized his wrists and held them in place.

"Why, sir..." he purred. "Are you _rushing?_ Don't you know that is forbidden?"

Cheeky. Loki jerked free and slid a hand inside to grip Thor's flesh.

"Are you telling me to slow down?"

"Not at all."

He knew he was being more rough than usual, the tempestuous weather tapping into something stormy within him. He was seized by a desire to mark Thor's flesh, though he knew such an act would be irresponsible and dangerous.

Still... No-one was likely to see beneath his clothes.

He walked Thor back towards the bed, kissing his neck before pushing him down and clambering on top. He nosed his way down Thor's chest and teased a nipple for a moment with his tongue before fixing his mouth around it, grazing it with his teeth to hear Thor's muffled moans.

Both it and its twin were pink by the time he deemed them finished, continuing downwards. He had wanted to bend Thor over the end of the bed, but he found himself too impatient to worry about preparing him. Never mind. Their mouths would do just as well.

"Sir," Thor said urgently as he set about fully removing his clothes. "Sir, wait."

"Hmm?"

"Don't kneel on the floor. Lie above me. I think the correct angle will let me please you while you please me."

"What an idea, Thor. Such a corrupt angel."

He wasn't sure how much of the blush on Thor's cheeks was embarrassment and how much excitement, but he stripped quickly and let Thor move him to his own satisfaction.

It was a strange prospective, facing Thor's cock from the opposite direction than normal. Still, he was determined to tease, running his tongue up the side nearest to him, breathing heavily against his flesh.

He only just held back a yelp when Thor swallowed his cock without any preamble.

There was an added benefit of this position, though Loki didn't believe Thor had thought of it when he requested it. Their moans were mutually muffled and especially with the pounding rain outside, the risk of anyone overhearing their activities was greatly diminished.

And despite still being a novice, Thor had learned fast, utilising his tongue skillfully, his hands roaming over what he could reach of Loki's flesh. He tried to repay in kind, using all manner of tricks to make Thor hum and moan around his length.

Such competition meant neither of them lasted long, Thor falling first but dutifully continuing until Loki finished. After a few deep breaths, Loki dragged his heated body out of bed to stand in the cool breeze from outside and reach out to feel the rain on his arms.

Thor came up behind him, arms encircling his waist and kissing his hair.

"Though of course I will not act on it, I have a strange desire to run naked outside in this storm," Loki said quietly. "To let it soak my bare skin. Is that strange, do you think?"

Thor genuinely seemed to consider this for a long while.

"I think it is the coach's doing. It has restricted you too much, meant you cannot utilise your time as you would like. But it will be over soon. We will reach Geneva within the next few days."

He was right. That's what it had to be.

"Of course," Thor continued. "I am rather new to being respectable, but I would not at all be surprised if the constant adherence to all these strange restrictions caused many people to feel strange desires. The set visit times, the cards, the chaperones... It is no wonder that young women run off with inappropriate men. They want a little freedom and so lunge for totality."

Loki couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. Thor being so judgmental of these young women's imprudent choices of lovers while he himself was standing naked with his tutor, cocks still wet from being sucked. It was too funny.

"What of you, then, Thor?" he teased. "You have always been free to do more or less as you please. Have you no strange, wicked desires?"

"Well... Perhaps too much freedom is less of a blessing than it seems. I need a firm hand to keep me in line."

"Was that a request?"

"Perhaps. Not now, though. I am too peaceful for anything more tonight."

He didn't know how long they watched the storm before the clouds burnt out and the orange glow of the setting sun poured over the land. A little time after that, Thor took his leave of Loki's cooling chamber.

The sated smell of the thirsty earth sweetened their sleep, leaving them bright and prepared for travelling onwards.


	33. Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Loki tells a tale of a former lover and plot threads are incidental at best.

"Will you tell me about him?" Thor asked out of the blue on the road the next day. "Your first?"

Loki had been half dozing, the gentle rocking of the carriage lulling him, but he sat up sharply at the question.

"Why do you ask?"

Thor shrugged.

"Just curious, that's all. I like hearing about your life."

Loki sat back, still a little on edge. He hadn't spoken about his past loves with anyone else. It wasn't safe to do so, especially implicating someone else. You never knew who was listening in. Then again, this was Thor. He meant no harm.

His eyes fell closed again as he thought back.

"My first affair with a man is what I assume you mean. I was twenty-three and working for a family whose means were becoming increasingly limited. The father had lost badly on the stock exchange and the staff reduced down to something of a skeleton crew. At least a third went, but I was kept. Education was very important. My lover was the valet. An imposing kind of man. Older than me, of course."

"How much older?"

"I don't know for certain. He was perhaps forty, a little more, a little less. I noticed how he looked at me first of all. He looked at no-one else like that. And I was... flattered, I suppose. He was attractive, chestnut hair going grey at the temples, athletic. Not particularly intelligent, but kind."

"So did he pursue you or the other way around?"

"Nothing so organised as that. I remember how it really started though. There were to be visitors coming to stay, rich men who expected male staff to help dress them. It was hoped they might marry the daughters of the house, my pupils. But there were more men than there were footmen to attend and so the valet decided to train me for the task through physical demonstration."

The memory was just as vivid as ever and Loki took a moment to dwell in it before continuing.

"He laid his hands on me so gently, starting with me in just my trousers. It was strange. He treated dressing me like it was undressing, sighing a little with each new garment. And then I did the same with him, though I was far more interested in the sight of his bare skin than on fastening cuff buttons. And right at the end, when I was smoothing the nap of his lapels, he asked if he could kiss me."

His voice had shaken. Trembled. And Loki had been eager for his first kiss with a man, wondering if it would be different from kissing women. In truth it was much the same, a little unskilled but heated and passionate too.

"Afterwards, he apologised for the impropriety and left."

Thor made a confused noise, but didn't say anything more than that.

"About a month later, he came to my room in the dead of night and told me that he had been trying so hard to curb his lust but that he burned for me, he needed another kiss, just one. But I wanted more than that. I wanted a lot more. I gave him his kiss but held him there and without another word, I dropped to my knees before him and took his cock in my mouth, feeling so powerful, that I had such influence over such a man."

"What was it like? Doing that for the first time?"

"I broke him, I think. Shocked him, certainly. He gasped and stuttered his moans but then he gripped my hair and began to thrust. I could do nothing but take it, but I loved it. I loved that I had overcome his worries and was willing to give in to me. And the things he said while I knelt for him..."

"What things?"

Thor's voice was tinged with breathlessness and Loki opened his eyes to find him squirming a little, a noticable bulge in his trousers.

"Do not torture yourself, Thor. Go on, free your cock and I shall tell you an even filthier tale of our exploits. You can spill as I tell you of the first time I was ever fucked."

Thor made a strange sound, eyes going wide as he fumbled with his trousers.

"I did not think you... partook in such things."

"Mmm. At first I did not. My lover took immense pleasure in being filled. He taught me how to open him, how to make him feel good, how to drive him to the heights. And... well, he enjoyed it so much and so evidently that I wanted to try. He had not asked. He thought I wouldn't want it."

Loki watched as Thor tentatively began to stroke himself, glad to have aroused him.

"He praised me all through the preparation. I am no stranger to the pleasures of being told how good I am. 'Yes, my darling,' he said, a finger deep inside me as I lay on my stomach, nervously gripping my pillow. 'How well your tight arse feels. Relax and let me give you another, let me ready you for it. I shall pound you, I shall fuck you so very hard and you shall be so good for me.' Being curious, I was not a stranger to my own fingers, but another's... Well, it was a rather different sensation, as you well know."

Thor was panting slightly, hand moving quickly.

"How was it?" he asked. "Did you like it? What did he say to you during it?"

"The most sinful things, Thor. That I was built for pleasure, that I had a sweet hole designed to be fucked, that he wished he could be buried within me forever."

"And did he... Did he take you hard as he said?"

"Not at first. No, he was gentle to begin with, long, rolling thrusts. But then he began to speed up. 'I cannot wait,' he said. 'I must...' And then he put a hand over my mouth to soften my cries of pleasure as he took me, growling into my ear all the while as he ravaged me."

"What did he say?"

Loki slid across the seat to speak into Thor's ear, lowering his voice to just the pitch he knew drove him wildest.

"He praised me. And he humiliated me a little, but I liked it. 'Yes, yes, my darling. Do you like my cock? I feel that you do. Your hungry arse, so desperate to be fucked. How I coveted it. How I imagined bending you over the table in the kitchen and taking this sweet hole, filling you to the brim with my spill and then licking it out. Mmm, you like that idea? Come on, darling, rub yourself on the sheets. Let me feel your pleasure, spill as I fuck you...'"

Thor grunted and gasped as he came all over his hand, trembling as he wiped it away with Loki's offered handkerchief.

"Did you?" he asked, seeming almost shy now. "Did you climax?"

"Oh, yes. With his cock pulsing into me."

"And did he... Did he use his tongue in the way he said?"

"Indeed," Loki said, shifting back to his corner. "And very enjoyable it was too."

Thor opened and closed his mouth a few times and Loki waited patiently for him to organise his thoughts.

"Could... Could we try that?"

"Of course, if you want it."

"I do. And... And could I try... With you, could I...?"

"Build up the confidence to ask properly, Thor. Then we can."

A few minutes later, Thor suddenly turned to him, looking thoughtful.

"What was his name? You never said."

Loki hesitated. A name he hadn't spoken for more than five years sat in the back of his mind, secret and hidden.

He looked into Thor's eyes for a moment and made a decision.

"Svaldifari."

And how strange that it still slipped easily from his tongue.

"Do you believe he still thinks of you?"

"Perhaps. In the night, when he's frustrated, perhaps he rubs against the sheets and dreams of willing flesh that he once knew. As I will do of you one day, I expect."

He pretended that he didn't see Thor's concerned little frown and went back to sleep, full of long-restrained memories.


	34. Unhappy Truths and Requested Rewards

"What did you mean," Thor asked at dinner that night. "When you said that one day you'd be remembering me?"

"Exactly as I said," Loki replied, gently stirring his soup. "When I am working elsewhere, I shall think back you our time together with great happiness."

Thor frowned and pouted and mumbled.

"I don't want you to."

"You don't want me to remember you?"

He was being deliberately obtuse and Thor sighed.

"I don't want you to leave me."

Loki looked across the table at him, his desolate little face, so hurt by an unavoidable reality.

"You will not need me forever, but I will still need money. And so I will have to go."

"I'll give you money."

"Thor, please. You will have the estate to run, a wife, children. And perhaps you will likewise look back on these days with a fondness of when you were young and sweet and would indulge with an older man."

"Did you want Svaldifari to leave you?"

"No. I was very unhappy about it. But he had a widowed sister to support. He needed more money than our employer could pay him and so he had to move on. I was dismissed not long afterwards."

"And you didn't stay in touch?"

"He was not literate. He didn't need to be for his line of work."

Thor went quiet and soon announced that he was tired and was going to bed. He was clearly upset, but it couldn't be helped. What would Loki do with himself in the estate all day? He would not be useful. That was surely the whole point in life, to be useful.

And besides, once Thor was married, there would be someone else for him to love, someone who could share his bed, someone he would build a life with. As it should be.

Love... What was he thinking of? Thor did not love him. He was just an affectionate young man full of urges. He needed a little distraction, that would sort him out.

They arrived in Geneva the next day and almost immediately ran into issues. A suitable lodging seemed like a difficult thing to come by for some reason. They ended up in a small room, their carriage in storage, sleeping not even a particularly fine guesthouse. Then again, anywhere with beds would do.

"We'll find something more permanent tomorrow."

Thor grunted. He seemed on edge, had been all day. Tense.

Well, there might be a way to deal with that.

"Thor, it seems to me that I have not given you the firm hand you requested earlier in the week. Would you like it now, or would you prefer to sleep?"

Thor looked speculative.

"Depends. What kind of a firm hand?"

"I am nostalgic. Do you remember the first time I made you hard?"

"When you spanked me?"

"Mmm. I thought I might take you over my knee and give you a little taste of my hand. Nude this time."

Thor pressed his lips together thoughtfully.

"Will you be nude too? Otherwise I will likely stain your trousers."

In answer, Loki began unbuttoning his shirt, watching as a smile blossomed over Thor's face. There, now. That was better.

"Come here," he said. "Let me take care of you."

He sat in the middle of his bed so that Thor could lie across his lap comfortably, his warm flesh feeling extremely pleasant.

"Hmm..." Loki said. "Let's see here."

He ran his hand over the globes of Thor's arse, enjoying kneading his muscles before bringing down a ringing slap. Thor moaned lightly, his cock already hardening.

Loki tried to be surprising in his choice of target and varied his force. He swapped between Thor's cheeks randomly, even straying down to his thighs, turning his skin a glowing pink. And Thor was pressing back, begging for more. Or maybe...

"Tut-tut, Thor. Trying to rub yourself on me?"

"Sir, please, more..."

"Alright. You are being a good boy after all."

He watched as Thor stopped hiding his movements, rocking back and forth, his cock leaking on Loki's thighs, and carefully timed his slaps to be off-rhythm.

"Are you going to spill?"

"Not yet. More."

"If I keep going, I fear you will be unable to sit down tomorrow."

"Three more?"

Loki paused for a moment and then struck him three times hard in quick succession.

Thor gasped and panted, pumping his hips rapidly and grunting as he came, hot splashes marking Loki's thighs.

"Good boy. I knew you could do it. Just kneel up and let me out."

He used Thor's spend to slick his cock and lay on top of him, slipping his erection between Thor's legs and began thrusting.

"You took it so well. That's what you needed, wasn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you. Is it tight enough for you?"

"Ooh, yes... So very tight. You're so good for me."

He was aroused and had benefited from Thor's motions so didn't take long to find his own peak, gently kissing Thor's neck afterwards.

A lot less tense. A success then.

He'd just have to hope he forgot about the far future for the time being.


	35. A Brush with the Law

Loki was woken by insistent knocking and rolled out of bed, glad that he'd put on his nightshirt before going to sleep. Thor groaned from his own mattress and covered his head with a pillow. It did seem rather early, judging by the pale light sneaking through the curtains.

The door opened to reveal two smartly dressed young gendarmes, or whatever the local equivalent were called.

"Mr Thor Odinson?"

Loki blinked at him.

"Is there some kind of problem?"

His heart was pounding. Someone had heard them, someone had guessed the truth about their relationship...

"We are to take a Mr Thor Odinson into custody on suspicion of duelling."

Relief made him laugh. A reflex, nothing more. This did not go down well.

"The French police take a very dim view of the subject, sir. They have given us leave to act on their behalf."

Thor had appeared by his side, looking very frightened.

"A mistake," Loki said. "My employer did not take part in any duel."

"If you'd come with us, please. You may bring your bags."

It didn't seem that they had a choice. The men waited for them to dress at least, Loki trying his best to smile at the hostess, trying to convey that this was all just a misunderstanding which would easily be resolved.

At least being rich had its advantages. They were treated very well, not handcuffed or locked up, merely taken to the local police headquarters where they sat for what seemed like hours.

"I don't understand," Thor said. "I had the impression that duels were fairly commonplace among the gentry."

"So is murder, doesn't make it any less illegal. But don't worry. This won't come to anything. You are innocent after all."

"Then why...?"

Loki sighed.

"I suspect Monsieur Sigurd still considers his honour besmirched and wants vengeance for it. Though I admit, I doubt he was the one to inform. No. That will have been Lorelei. You were supposed to fight and be terribly dashing and bleed for her sake and now she is offended that you dropped her so easily."

Thor frowned with annoyance and a little bit of hurt as well. Poor thing. Wrong place at the wrong time.

After certainly the entire morning, a figure of authority appeared, a balding man with a slightly harried look. He seemed to view them as a chore, like there was far, far too much on his plate without spoiled strangers showing up to add to it.

"Mr Odinson? Come with me."

And he was speaking in English. That would certainly put Thor more at ease. And it bade well too. If they thought him guilty, there would be no attempt made to make him feel comfortable.

The man's office was not the most pleasant of places Loki had ever been, but at least they weren't in a cell. He would prefer to keep it that way.

"So..." the man began. "I know how it is. Young man away from home, pretty girls, hurt pride."

He paused, waiting for Thor to protest, the incriminate himself. Fortunately, he seemed to be doing a fairly good impression of a sad puppy instead. Loki knew that look. Thor had tried to use it on him a few times.

"We are of course most distressed by this accusation," Loki said smoothly.

"So there was no arrangement between you and a... Sigurd Aigu?"

"Well..."

"I'd like Mr Odinson to answer for himself."

A reasonable request. Loki forced himself to let go of his protector role, sit back and at least try not to look like he was bracing himself for the worst.

Thor was skilled at manipulation given the right motivation. Not lying, but making people sympathise with him. He had done nothing wrong. Surely this would be easy for him.

He just had to hope this stranger could be convinced by wide, innocent eyes.


	36. Help from a Friend

Thor looked at the stranger, his face honest and open and above all so very, very young-looking. Sometimes it really struck Loki that he was only seventeen, a vague sickness settling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure if it made him hopeful that sympathy might reign now.

"It's true that Sigurd challenged me," Thor said carefully. "And that I accepted in a momentary lapse of judgment. But I decided not to fight and the duel did not take place."

The policeman said nothing, making a note with a few strokes of his pencil.

"Are you going to write to my father?" Thor asked desperately. "I didn't want to worry him with this as his health is so fragile."

Ah, the family angle. Here he was, young and naive and with trouble at home... He was laying it on thickly now. Loki just hoped it wouldn't be too much and tip over into being pitiful in a way the officer wouldn't appreciate.

"Did you ever intend to fight?" the man asked. "Be truthful now."

Thor stammered.

"When I agreed to it, yes," he admitted. "But then I was counselled against it by my chaperone and I saw how wrong I had been. I should never have accepted the challenge. And besides, I am not skilled with swords, so I could hardly have expected to escape without injury. It was a stupid thing, a mistake, and I am truly sorry."

He certainly sounded it. He probably was sorry, Loki thought, especially since he was potentially in trouble for it.

"We have had some interesting testimonies from two young ladies. One a Madamoiselle Sortilège who reported the crime but did not name your would-be opponent and one from a Miss Jane Foster, whose account matches your own and who does report the challenger along with a few other details. As a result, I am satisfied that you made a single error of judgment, no more, no less."

Thor hesitated and then moved as if to stand, freezing when he realised he hadn't been dismissed. The man watched him with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"That said, it is still a serious offence to even agree to a duel. But I will give you a choice. You can either pay a fine or spend a night in the cells."

"How much would the fine be?" Loki asked, reaching for the pocket of his coat and the money pouch held there.

"Let's see... To ensure the message sinks in, 400 francs. We can accept French currency if you prefer."

Loki slowly drew his hand away from his pocket. That was a truly absurd amount. He would have to write to Odin to request such a bulk boost to their expected budget. Giving a reason would be unavoidable and then Thor would be in serious trouble.

"Monsieur," he said severely. "You have read the testimony of Miss Jane, who has known my employer for some years and no doubt noted that he is utterly harmless..."

"She describes him as a kind young man who is easily led astray by his emotions. Some consequences would surely help to lessen that."

"I can assure you, he will be punished very firmly and will learn from this mistake."

"I'm sorry, sir. It's a crime. The law must be obeyed. The fine is paid or Mr Odinson spends the night here."

Loki groaned. It seemed there was no way out.

"This is my fault," Thor said quietly. "I will accept the punishment."

"I will not leave you here alone. It is my job to look after you and I can't very well do that from the wrong side of the bars."

"But, sir, you have committed no crime," the policeman said and Loki could very clearly see his amusement now. How petty.

"Then I refuse to leave. Trespass, there we are. Obstruction of the law. Unlawful occupation. Stop me when I find one that will count enough for a night in gaol."

The man held up his hands.

"Alright, alright, you have me. I was merely teasing. Since your testimony matches so closely with that of Miss Foster, there is no need for custody or fines. You're free to go. My apologies for the inconvenience."

Loki was still fuming as they collected their bags and Thor tried his best to brighten his mood.

"You were going to go to prison for me."

"I was hardly going to leave you all alone with hardened criminals. I have no problem believing that you'd hold your own in a brawl, but I'd rather avoid the need altogether."

"Still, we can go out and find a house now, sir. Get right back on track."

"I'm seriously considering hiring a driver to take us out of this infernal city and on to the Alps right away."

Thor looked at him in surprise.

"But, sir, you've hated all this travelling..."

"Indeed. But apparently I hate Geneva more."

In response, Thor shrugged and slung his bag more firmly onto his back.

"We had best get to the carriage before the storage stable closes then."


	37. Treasures

_Dear Miss Jane,_

_My apologies for how late this letter is in reaching you. Mr Laufeyson and I have pressed on to a small town near the Alpine border with Italy and intend to cross soon._

_I must offer you my ~~cinsere~~ sincerest thanks for your testimony. I believe it protected me from a more severe punishment. As it was, I was merely warned not to do it again. I do hope that Sigurd and Madamoiselle Sortilège are very happy together._

_I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise unreservedly for the damage I caused to your reputation and career through my youthful indiscretion. It was foolish of me and I was deluded to not see that your interest in me was of a kind professional. I allowed my own romantic dreams to overwhelm my reason and for that I am truly sorry._

_We expect to go directly to Milan and stay in the cultural district. I will take the liberty of sending you our address once we are settled._

_Yours, in friendship,_

_Thor Odinson_

Letters were very useful things. They gave Thor something to be getting on with while Loki tried to organise everything they would need for the crossing. Warmer clothes that they could sell on in the first village they came to on the other side, Italian currency to at least get them through the first few days, men to help them dismantle their carriage and carry it across and then to rebuild it once more... It was quite the military operation and the more Thor was occupied with his studies or writing home with news or taking the fresh Alpine air the better.

Except of course that the latter meant he was able to discover yet more things that could slow them down.

Such as the pamphlet he was engrossed in even while coming through the door of the guest house suite they were occupying before the forward journey.

"What's that?" Loki asked, instantly suspicious.

Thor looked a little guilty, but hopeful all the same.

"Remember you said there would be opportunities to have my image made through photography on the trip? I was handed this outside the studio. They have a sitting area on the roof to have a photograph taken with the beauty of the mountains as a backdrop... Look, here."

The pamphlet had a drawing of a smart young woman posing, with diagrams of how the process worked and then a series of prices.

"I thought..." Thor began. "Well, I would like to send one to my father, of course, that he might see some of the natural beauty and that I am just as happy and healthy as I say in my letters. But I would want one for myself too, one of you and I together and..."

"Yes, Thor?"

"Well, if you buy three then they will mount them for free. See, here, they have a special price for three. And so I wondered if you might also... want one. To remember the trip."

Loki went a little tense. They had not mentioned his inevitable departure since before Geneva. But Thor sounded accepting now. Like he had thought it over and understood.

And a photograph... He'd never had need of such a thing. He had no-one to send one to. What use would an image be to his parents? And having one of himself seemed narcissistic somehow.

But a frozen memory of he and Thor together? An image of happy days captured forever that he could keep and look upon when he was an old man and such dalliances were long finished? That certainly had its appeal.

"Very well," he said. "Book a session with them for as soon as possible. I don't want to delay more than we already must."

Thor grinned and kissed him on the cheek before rushing out again.

A ridiculous child, but sweet, Loki thought. He already knew he would treasure the picture.

He didn't have many possessions that were particularly close to his heart. Oh, his books were important, of course, but they were all easily replaced if necessary and not even particularly valuable. His first dictionary was a little special, he supposed, bearing as it did an inscription that proclaimed it a prize for good spelling. He'd been seven when they gave it to him. It was the first object that was really his, not inherited from an older brother or sister.

But other than that, his lifestyle did not lend itself overly to carrying things. He needed to save his money to support his old age so other than keeping his clothing immaculate, he tried to have as few expenses as possible. His watch was functional, not pretty. He sold his old, unneeded books for as high a price as he could.

But a photograph in a small mount would be lightweight, easily kept safe in the pages of his dictionary and a perfect little novelty to take home. Let Thor have his little indulgence.

An extra day or two would hardly make a difference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm editing this during Eurovision so please tell me about any typos I have missed.


	38. Photographs and Panic

Thor stared at the contraption being brought towards him and swallowed hard, not nearly as sure as he had been when they entered the studio at the alloted time for their session.

The photographer was a small man with a strong Italian accent and scrupulously groomed facial hair, clearly very proud of his technology and skills.

"Don't worry," he said, gesturing to the large metal clamp and stand he was holding. "Not visible in the picture. Not visible at all."

Loki held back a laugh. That was probably the least of Thor's worries. It looked like an instrument of torture.

Thor was sat on a chaise longue with an enormous open window behind him showing a beautiful panorama of the mountains. Even the best image of them could not hope to capture the delicate yet savage beauty of them, the way the tops vanished into cloud and the pale blue of the heavens almost blended with the snowy peaks.

The clamp was put into place behind Thor's neck, holding him rigid. He looked proud and sure of himself, as though he owned the great landscape behind him. The impression was only slightly spoiled by his look of unease, like a nervous horse being put into a bridle for the first time.

"Just relax," the man said, moving his hands to a more open and statesmanlike pose.

"Is it uncomfortable?" Loki asked.

"No," Thor admitted, visibly trying not to squirm. "It feels strange though."

Well, surely he was used to strange sensations by now.

"You look very well," he said, pleased that his remark made Thor smile before settling into a far more natural expression.

"Keep still," the photographer said, removing the lens from his machine.

Loki knew only a little about the art of picture taking. He knew it was all to do with the reaction of light on a chemical paper and that it was then fixed using some kind of special process, but the exact details eluded him.

It took minutes and he couldn't help feeling that the clamp was a good idea. It would prevent Thor from slouching as he often did.

He moved his jaw around afterwards as if he'd been clenching it, the photographer's assistant squirrelling the image away to be finished while Loki was put into the scene and moved like a mannequin.

They placed him behind Thor, standing almost to attention, the back of his head likewise held in position with a sturdy clamp. He understood then what Thor had meant. Although the metal was padded for comfort, it was screwed tight, like a constant grip by some unseen controller.

He hesitated when asked to put his hand on Thor's shoulder though.

"Very classical image," the photographer insisted. "Stewardship and guidance. Helping the young gentleman in his progress."

His hand almost shook. How ridiculous, but he felt sure that if he touched Thor a spark would flash between them, that somehow the extent of his depravity would be obvious, that he had touched Thor before in so many ways that were sinful and wrong and...

Thor's shoulder was solid and warm beneath his fingers, a rock of flesh almost. No strange reaction. No reaction at all.

Why did the situation suddenly become horrible to him then? He couldn't really say. But somewhere in the depths of his heart he knew it was because he feared his feelings would be obvious to any observer. Feelings that he hadn't even noticed creeping over him. Feelings that he should not be experiencing in relation to Thor. Feelings of a kind he'd never thought would enter his life again.

Why like this? Why with Thor, someone he couldn't be with? How could he have fallen in l... No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't so much as think the word.

He stared into the blackness of the lens, a cold eye watching his agony, and felt the abyss opening before him. What had he done? How had he allowed their situation to progress so far?

His mind revolted suddenly. He felt the gulf between himself and Thor anew. Wealth, situation, age... Thor was a child! As his tutor, he was supposed to protect him, to guide him. How might this affair affect Thor in the future? Already he was determined that they would not be separated even though it was quite impossible. This could ruin his life. The damage might be irreversible.

But worse, so much worse, Loki knew part of his own heart that he had tried to crush and hide, was beginning to seek hope that there could be a way.

What madness this was. He would have no purpose as a tutor once Thor was of age. He would be useless. Until Thor had children perhaps, but that would mean a wife and yet more cares until Thor could barely spare a moment for him.

Or worse... Thor would spare him only the time for their sin, the betraying of his wife. And could he bear that? To be kept like by Thor like a pet for nothing but his body? But then again, how long could that last? He was already thirty. Would Thor still desire him when he was thirty himself and Loki forty-three? He would be aging fast while Thor was in his prime and had a pretty wife in his bed and heart.

He did not note the changing of the photographic plate and took time to blink back to reality when they were finished, the continued pinch of the clamp like the creeping hold of time.

Thor stood and stretched when he was freed, smiling without care, and Loki felt his heart clench.

He had to stop this.


	39. Difficult Passages

The pictures were ready after two days, giving Loki time to finalise his preparations. They had thick coats to protect from the wind and sleety showers that would yet plague the heights of the Great St Bernard Pass. Experienced men would show them the route and help to drag the carriage. There was an unfinished road of sorts for most of the way. It shouldn't be too difficult, even for such inexperienced travellers.

They would be following the footsteps of Napoleon and his men more than half a century ago, who passed in single file over the 8000 foot high elevation. Hopefully their party of four would not take nearly so long about it, especially as they were going a little later in the year, though they would still have to take cares of the changing weather and stay in the monks' hostel on the way. Loki expected it to take two days of near constant walking.

Thor was very excited to see the photographs, gleefully hurrying home with the package having collected it the very second the studio opened and opening it right away on the writing desk, gasping when he saw them.

"Oh, sir. How handsome we look."

Part of Loki feared to look upon them. His inner thoughts were surely written in his face, frozen forever in the captured image.

His treacherous eye went to Thor first. He looked very well in the first, the one for his father, but was visibly more comfortable in the other two. He seemed almost glowing for all his expression was neutral. And Loki was forced to note how pleasantly the light picked out his features, his broad cheeks and noble forehead so smooth, his hair's gold rendered silver by the monochrome.

Eventually he tore his eyes upwards and forced himself to examine his own face.

There seemed no secrets there. No sadness, no fear. His doubles gazed impassively from the frames, apparently at peace. Even the hand laid on Thor's shoulder looked only companionable, proper. There was not a hint of sin or so much as possessiveness in it.

They looked as they ought to. A young man and his chaperone, taking the grand European tour and pausing to make a souvenir of the mountains before the pass.

"Don't you think so?" Thor asked.

Loki blinked.

"You won't have time to visit the post office before we leave. You can trust the housekeeper here to send the first one on to your father."

He could feel the confusion radiating from Thor. He didn't understand, couldn't understand why Loki was so short with him. The truth was he was trying to curb his lusts, to break his habits. Since the session at the photography studio, he had resisted touching Thor in even the most innocent way, let alone anything more than that. He made excuses. Tiredness, time, business, the proximity of their neighbours... But excuses, all of them.

He tried to ignore the troubled look on Thor's face. What conclusion could he come to other than that he was being punished? If sex was a reward, then clearly the lack of it was somehow his fault.

It was unfair. He knew it was. He ought to sit Thor down and talk with him, make it clear that their relationship must end. But he couldn't bear it. The disappointment, the hurt, the way Thor would look at him that would make him waver and stumble and break.

Thor was dutiful, writing a note to his father and wrapping the other two pictures to pack away carefully, giving the rooms a last check for any forgotten items before they set off.

A few hours of trudging later, Loki was recalling the discomfort of their conversation fondly compared to the difficulty of climbing the pass. His bag seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each step, the warm clothes only seeming to overheat him while the comparative chill cut into the back of his throat with every breath. The two men they had employed went ahead, warning of difficult sections of path, dragging the dismantled carriage and a few other heavy objects on two sledges behind them.

His breath misted in the air, the only sounds around caused by their panting, the wind and the occasional cry of some circling bird of prey. It ought to have been peaceful, would have been if not for the raging tumult of his thoughts.

"Are you well?" Thor asked, his voice going husky in the cold.

"What?"

"You have... You have been strange these last few days. I wondered if you were feeling alright."

He didn't want to do this now, stuck in this barren landscape with no hope of escape or distraction.

"I... I am thinking of the future, Thor."

He was glad that he couldn't see what face Thor made at that.

"Have I done something? Please, don't torture me like this. Tell me what I have done that I might make amends."

"Nothing. You have done nothing wrong."

Thor's voice dropped to a hiss.

"Then why won't you touch me? Why are you treating me so indifferently? Don't... Don't you care about me anymore?"

Loki sighed, feeling as though part of his life was escaping his lungs as he did so.

"Of course I do. That's why I... You must understand, I have realised that my feelings towards you have changed into something they were never meant to be. Something I hadn't expected, something unacceptable. That is why we must stop what we are doing."

Thor was silent for several more yards of walking before speaking up again, quieter now.

"Do you mean to say that you love me, Loki?"

He felt his heart lurch. It was already pounding hard in his chest from the exertion and hearing his first name spoken in Thor's voice was almost painful, the crossing of a bridge or breaking of a barrier within him.

But there was no point in lying.

"I fear so, yes."

Thor's nervous laughter echoed slightly around them.

"You fear so," he repeated. "Why fear? I am glad that you love me. I love you."

"No, you don't," Loki snapped. "You don't know what love is, Thor. You don't understand what you're saying."

"Because I am young?"

"Yes."

He fell into silence then for a long time, stunned perhaps. The colour of the sky was just beginning to tint with pink when the hospice came into view. Loki's relief at seeing it was tempered by the way his heart stubbornly ached at the thought of going to bed without a kind goodnight from Thor.

Not that he should have worried about that. After the simple meal which he barely tasted, Thor followed him to the visitors' quarters and took hold of his wrist before he could retire.

"I know you think me young and stupid," he said softly. "But I will show you that I know my own heart. I know what it is we have confessed to one another. I know how important it is."

He glanced left and right along the corridor to make sure they were alone before pressing a soft, chaste kiss to Loki's lips.

"Goodnight, sir. Sleep well."

As he closed the door behind himself, Loki leant against the wood and wept. For what, he didn't quite know.


	40. Decisions

It was clear what he needed to do. He had to explain reality to Thor, tell him the truth, hurt him maybe to make him change his mind.

Even the thought of hurting Thor made his chest tighten a little. But it was right, it was the right thing to do. For both of them.

Then again, if he upset Thor too badly, how would the rest of their journey pan out? Perhaps such an abrupt end to their dalliance would be imprudent. Would it not be better to ease him away from the idea?

This would be all very well if it wasn't for his own feelings. It was not merely Thor's dream of love he had to deal with but his own ridiculous emotions. He had tried breaking from Thor completely, but seeing him every day brought his lust to the surface of his thoughts. The shine of Thor's hair in the sunlight, the way he rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously, the slight parting of lips that Loki knew to be so very soft.

And worse than such physical things were the aspects of his personality and manner that Loki was becoming rapidly aware he was in love with. His readiness to laugh. The gentle cadence of his voice when he was tired. His passion for his land and the people who lived upon it, who were never far from his thoughts. His heart, so easily touched that one might tear it out at any moment.

In truth, that last one made him afraid. Made him doubt. Thor could fall "in love" from just a smile. Loki himself was merely nearby, a source of affection, no wonder Thor thought himself enamoured. Jane, Lorelei, how easily they could have claimed him if they had so wished, but then how long would Thor be faithful with his love? How long before his head was turned by yet another?

He knew he could not be with Thor. He knew it. Not forever.

But...

The thought hit him hard on his way to breakfast. This time in Europe was their own. When they returned, Thor would need to take over the estate, take his place in the world. That was the point to separate, Thor into his future and Loki into his. There was still time. He could have this joy and be glad while it lasted, keep happy memories when it was done.

And he would tell Thor. He might be sad to begin with, but he would grow to understand. He would grow full stop, grow into a man, grow into a life that Loki would have no part of.

He would do it today, as they walked.

Thor was already deep into his breakfast, a large bowl of steaming porridge steadily decreasing in volume.

As Loki gratefully received his own portion, he noted that Thor was probably being slowed down by the attention of a large dog that was sat beside his bench, head in his lap and tail occasionally thumping on the floor as he scratched behind its ears.

"Who's your friend?" Loki asked gently, taking the opposite seat.

Thor swallowed his latest spoonful.

"His name is Francis," he said. "I think they said he used to rescue people lost on the mountains but now he's too old."

"Hmm. Well, they're famous for their dogs here."

"I'm glad that he is so well looked after now his work is done."

Of all the places to discuss the future of a forbidden relationship, a monastery in the company of an heroic dog was not exactly ideal so Loki held his tongue until they were once again outside on the mountains. It was far easier today, mostly downhill, but his muscles still screamed at this continued mistreatment.

It was almost tempting to focus on that and not jump into the breach, but he forced himself to do it, deliberately hanging back while the men walked ahead and knowing Thor would try to stay near him. It meant a little privacy at least.

"Thor? We need to talk. About the future."


	41. Arguing

Thor listened stoicly to all Loki had to say, his plan that they could be lovers for now and separate later. He laid out all his reasoning and thought process, showing his work as he always compelled his students to.

Afterwards there was a pregnant pause, one that made Loki's bag seem to hang yet more heavily upon his shoulders.

"You want to be rid of me," Thor said quietly.

The fact that it seemed to be a statement rather than a question made Loki's heart ache again. How much heartache he had had of late.

"It's not what I want," he said carefully. "It's what has to happen."

He could tell without looking that Thor was pouting, that sad little face he wore sometimes that had started to affect him in worrying ways. He couldn't see it without wanting to kiss it away.

"What do you want, then?"

"In a perfect world or the one we actually live in?"

"Both."

Loki sighed.

"Of course, I have foolish dreams where we can be together forever. But that is simply not possible. You need heirs, we cannot have them. You need someone of your own station, I am not. You need someone who will not be an old man while you are yet in your prime. Besides, you would not love me for long once you got married."

He regretted saying it even as the words were leaving his mouth. Thor huffed in annoyance, in hurt.

"You truly think my heart so fickle?"

Loki steeled himself. He hadn't wanted to hurt Thor, but maybe that was the only way to make him see reason.

"What evidence do I have that you would be true? You loved Jane, yet cast your thoughts of her aside when our relationship began. Then again, I was by your side and in your bed when Lorelei caught your attention and led you astray. You even spoke of choosing between us. What claim would I have over the mother of your children? I will not wait around for you to replace me."

"That is not fair. I loved Jane, yes, but she was gone and Lorelei, well... Well, she tricked me."

"You were very easily tricked, Thor. Still, no matter. Our relationship was hardly based on love from the outset, was it?"

He had drawn first blood and was just twisting the knife now, really digging deep. It was just a shame his own heart was feeling the stab too.

"I don't understand what you mean..."

"When did you fall in love with me, Thor? It was not when me met. I was a fresh challenge then, an interesting newcomer for you to play with and learn to manipulate. Of course, you would not think of it as manipulation, nor have such malice in it, but that is what you do. You use sympathy and charm to get your own way, to bend the world to your will. And when I was not receptive to your efforts, you hated me. You thwarted me at every turn. Eventually, I became sexually interesting to you and suddenly everything changed. But that was bargaining, not love."

"What? What do you mean, bargaining? That was a game, an excuse for what we both wanted. We realised we were attracted to one another and you... You pretended to be indulging only me. You knew how much I loved seeing your feigned indifference crack."

The realisation stole over Loki as ice running down his spine. Thor believed they had been mutual from the beginning. He thought they had both wanted it right from the start. He didn't know how Loki had fought against his lusts for so long, as he now grappled with his emotions.

"Don't you understand? You learned so much faster when you were rewarded with a hand on your cock. I used your lust as a bribe, a way to make you advance rapidly. And when your father told me about the grand tour, I... I daren't stop even though I knew it was wrong."

"Wrong? But I wanted it, I..."

"You were sixteen years old, Thor. You were a child, you practically still are. And I am your tutor. I'm supposed to prepare you for intellectual conversation, not teach about your body and its capabilities. I will admit that I grew to enjoy our activities, but ultimately I used sex as a method to make you do what I wanted so that I would get to come on this trip but now..."

"But now it's not just sex. It's love as well."

The truth hung in the air between them, a monstrous cloud threatening to burst at any moment.

"I cannot live with you forever," Loki said slowly and deliberately. "I need purpose in my life. Something to occupy myself. You offer me a life of leisure and endless days filled with nothing except on the rare occasions you decide to extract yourself from your spouse and deign to visit me. I would live according to your whim. I... I could not live with such uncertainty. I would be bound to you in a way I find abhorrent."

"You think so little of me. You would have the whole library to fill your days, my ear at your disposal, my heart forever."

"I need freedom, Thor. I need to choose my own path. Yours is chosen for you by birth with all the privileges and burdens that entails and I am not part of it. I cannot be. I will not be."

Thor didn't respond, letting the air fill with the sound of their footsteps. He snuffled a little after short time and Loki sighed.

"Please, don't cry," he said. "Your tears might freeze were they not so full of salt. Come, let us be friends and follow my plan. I know that part of me will always love you. Think on that. We are tragic lovers, Thor, and must make the best of it."

Still Thor would not speak to him, rushing ahead to put some distance between them, leaving Loki to struggle along in his foot prints.

The descent took all day, but finally they stumbled into an Italian town where they could stop for the night, a warm guest house bed beckoning.

But not right away. First Loki oversaw the rebuilding of the carriage, sending a still stubbornly silent Thor off to secure rooms and food for the night while he paid the men for their work.

He was not looking forward to a long, wordless dinner, but his worry was unfounded. The hostess said the young man felt unwell and had taken food in his room.

His individual room.

He had no right to be upset, Loki told himself as he asked for wine. Thor wanted to be alone and that was his right.

Still, once again, his tongue failed to appreciate the rich, wholesome meal set in front of him, only sparing sense for the slightly sour drink that he demolished far too quickly.

There was no point in staying up by himself. He bid the lady goodnight and tried not to disturb the other guests as he meandered his way to his room.

The note he found pushed under his door was unexpected, but not unwelcome. He staggered over to the bed, candlestick in hand to read it, finding the familiar loops and spikes of Thor's handwriting before him.


	42. Thor's Letter

_My dearest Loki,_

_May I call you Loki? I have only dared to once. It slipped out. And yet this is the name that makes me smile, that makes my heart swell. It is yours and so I love it. I love most things to do with you, it seems._

_I find it hard to talk with you sometimes. I feel myself at a disadvantage for you are older and more experienced and cleverer than I am. I find my words and meaning twisted up in ways I never intended. I feel that I am unable to correctly say what I wish to, so I hope this letter will allow me to find more articulation for my thoughts._

_I love you. And I know you will say that I am too young and too imprudent, that I cannot know that love is. Perhaps you are right. But I do know that my life is made better for having you in it. I know that I have grown so much over the past year that we have known each other._

_It is not quite a year in fact, though it seems a lifetime to me._

_You even pointed out the change yourself. When we met, I was spoiled and yes, I was immediately looking for ways in which I could avoid learning. I did not understand then how important it was, or how important it would become to me. And I did hate you a little, I suppose, until our relationship developed._

_You asked me when I fell in love with you. I do not think I could choose an exact second. I know when I first realised it though. It was when you stood gazing out at the storm on our way to Geneva, so open and calm. Touching you in that moment was like meeting an angel for me. A moment of perfection that I was terribly afraid I would shatter. I felt as though all the world was cut away from us, all the worries gone. I was happy in a way I had seldom experienced, a quiet and peaceful happiness, and I thought to myself, yes, this is what love feels like. I believe I was in love before that moment, but it took that moment of calm to help me realise it._

_I would like to claim that I was not hurt by what you told me today, but it would be a lie. I can see now that you were stronger in resisting your lusts than I thought. I believed you were pretending from the start to tease me, but now I see that was not the case. How ridiculous I feel now, having thought such a worldly man would fall for me so easily! But it grew in time and now, as you say, it is something different for both of us._

_I have thought carefully about all that you said. About the perfect world and the one we live in being different._

_In a perfect world, there would ne no barriers. I would ask you to marry me that we could live as partners and run the estate together and no-one would care that we were both men and different ages and from different classes. In a perfect world, it wouldn't matter. And as for heirs, we could find a ward, an orphan to leave the estate to. And yet I know the law does not easily allow such things. People would talk and the risk of discovery would always be there, poisoning everything. Part of me wonders if we couldn't accept the trouble in exchange for a little perfection._

_I know I am selfish for wanting to cage you and keep you near me always. I feel entwined with you so deeply that separation seems akin to ripping out some vital organ from my body. You have helped to build the man I am becoming. I find words that you have taught me entering my thoughts as naturally as if they were always there. My mind flicks between ideas I had no inkling of until you were my teacher. You spoke of being bound and how you could not stand it, but I feel we are already tied and may be all our lives. Without you, I would not be making this journey. I would have been barely able to write this letter. I certainly would have been unable to listen to reason rather than the aches of my soul._

_I will follow your scheme, as much as it pains me. I will not attempt to trap you in a life you find abhorrent, for if you were unhappy for my sake I do not think that I could live._

_I cannot lie and say I will be glad for you to leave me, but I suppse you will have taught me yet another lesson: to be happy for the duration. I feel that this European adventure will be the happiest time of my life. Let it be so, then. Let us make merry and feast upon our love. Let us kiss first thing in the mornings and last at night. Let those holy words, I love you, never be far from our lips._

_I will not want it to end. I feel a part of me will die. Memento mori, I shall say from time to time, and yet not dwell on it._

_I am become too lyrical, my teacher. I fear putting this letter beneath your door, for surely then it is done and I will be unable to change my mind and take it back and cling to you. Still, I know that you are right. This is how it must be. We will build the best of memories and look back upon them in years to come with only happiness for having lived in love._

_And so, as you are my dearest Loki, let me be forever_

_Your Thor_


	43. Promises

He wanted to keep it. He wanted to press the letter between the pages of a book and keep it securely there. He could not. It was not safe to do so, especially since with its talk of love and kisses, discovery would implicate them both with little to no scope for defence. It had hardly been safe for Thor to write it, leaving it in such a place where any of the guest house staff might have stumbled upon it if they had checked the room. Keeping it would be far too great a risk.

Loki's fingers trembled as he went to the fireplace, laying the page in it and bringing his candle to a corner, watching as it curled and blackened, the precious words turning to dust but held safe in his soul forever.

He sat still before the hearth for a few minutes after it had burned, heart hammering in his chest. It was ridiculous, but part of him was sad to have won, that Thor was not fighting him. But then again, fighting would have only wasted time. If they were to enjoy this, they should savour every second.

What pressure that was! How could he truly enjoy himself if every moment was spent worrying that they were not doing enough, always looking to the awful, inevitable time of parting? Every second was wasted if he thought like that. Savour, yes, not force.

Then again, he knew where Thor's room was. There was no need to withhold kisses any longer now that they understood one another.

The thought came suddenly and spurred him into action, almost ripping off his coat and shirt and pulling on his night clothes on top of his trousers. It was barely eleven o'clock. Some of the house would be sleeping but it was not so late that being awake would be suspicious. And besides, if he was seen walking out half-dressed, he could claim he was just checking on his ill charge before retiring himself.

The moment between knocking at the door and it being opened seemed to last for eons and seeing Thor shirtless and hopeful almost made him whimper, pushing him back into the room, hands desperate and clinging.

Thor said nothing, but touched him so familiarly, his hands sliding under his nightshirt to find bare skin, so warm and sure, sighing when Loki's lips finally found his.

"I'm sorry," Loki whispered, not sure what he was apologising for.

The truth, he supposed, was that he was sorry for everything. He was sorry that the world would not allow them to be together, that he had let them get to this point in the first place, that he had let Thor fall in love with him. He was sorry that he had fallen too, that he had been robbed of his senses by his heart's lack of control.

"Hush," Thor said, seeming so much older and wiser suddenly - or had he been moving that way steadily for some time without his notice? - holding Loki close and easing them both back towards the bed.

It was not sexual, this time together. They lay together, touching and kissing and holding but nothing else. After his abstainance, Loki felt drunk on it, every grip of Thor's fingers a pulse, every kiss a breath. His heart felt so full it might burst.

"I love you," he sobbed, the first time he had actually said it out loud, and Thor cradled him close to his chest, his arms like a barrier from all his fears and woes. He felt suddenly like he was the young one, needing reassurance and comfort from his lover.

He nestled there against Thor's skin like a dove sheltering against the wind, safe from the storm of his mind and never wanting to leave. Oh, that this could last forever, that he could spend eternity held in Thor's embrace.

"Stay," Thor whispered, as though picking up the flow of his thoughts.

"I cannot. The bed is too small. But... But in Milan..."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Thor kissed the top of his head, his whispers dropping even lower, as though telling a secret.

"I have dreamt of it. Real dreams, when my unconscious mind believes you lie beside me. I have dreamt at times that I am back on the estate, waking in my own bed with my love beside me. It is always awful to open my eyes and find it isn't so. Do you promise? Promise me that in Milan you will share my bed for sleep as well as... other things."

So coy. Loki let out a quiet laugh, tilting hid head and turning his eyes upwards to meet Thor's gaze.

"I promise. We will make sure the staff are unable to enter, ensuring we are not disturbed."

"How long until we get there?"

"Two days, I expect."

"The longest of my life."

Loki kissed him hard before withdrawing, his heart so much lighter for having reached an understanding. He could dance almost, for all that it would be short-lived. It would be enough.

He dreamt of warm arms wrapped around him, of sleepy kisses, of tangled feet, and could not wait to be underway, to reach their next long stop all the sooner.


	44. Plotting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, we've had a lot of emotions sloshing around these last few days. Time for a little respite I think.

"Mmm... Mm, stop..."

"Stop?"

"No, keep going..."

Loki felt like he was in a dream. Like he was seventeen years old along with Thor and every touch was a new revelation. Italy was beautiful and Thor was beautiful and the whole world seemed full of wonder.

Thor's studies were temporarily abandoned for the journey to Milan, the days instead filled with kisses and secrets and gazing at the sugar-coated mountains that had so recently been beneath their feet.

"When is your birthday?" Thor asked suddenly, his hair tangled from Loki's fingers.

"I've never known for sure, but I was baptised on July 14th. Why do you ask?"

"Why, because I want to give you a present of course."

Loki rolled his eyes fondly.

"Now why do I suspect you're going to enjoy this gift even more than I will? Besides, we have not yet finished May. There are weeks still to go."

"All the more time for me to plan it carefully."

"So you won't give me the smallest hint?"

He moved as he spoke, straddling Thor a little awkwardly on the carriage seat, teasingly leaning forward only to hold back from yet more kisses, rolling his hips just slightly.

"Oh, I think you can guess, sir," Thor said, hands coming up to grip his waist. "It's something I can only give once."

He knew already, but Loki made a show of thinking about it, biting his lip to watch Thor's eyes flick down.

"Hmm... That's a hard one."

"As will I be if you keep moving like that."

Loki grinned at him, leaning in to kiss his neck and murmur against his ear.

"Will this be how you give me my present? Like this, driving upwards into me? Or will you lie me on my back for it, making me arch into you? Will you muffle my cries or do you wish to hear me call out for more? Mmph..."

He was being very cruel, grinding down on Thor's lap, the almost harsh kiss his just deserts for teasing.

"I knew you had guessed," Thor said, rocking against him reflexively. "You'll be my first. For both ways around. Mmm, I can hardly wait, I want you so badly. I wish you had not packed the oil away, I would bend over for you right now."

"And that is precisely why I did it. To make the longing acute so that when we have complete privacy once again..."

He rolled his hips with purpose this time, both of them trying and failing to completely stifle their moans.

"Give me your handkerchief," Thor said. "Before we each spill in our clothes."

He worked their clothes open with practised ease, wrapping one of his hands around both their lengths and starting to stroke, Loki rocking forwards into each motion.

"I'll take you in every room of the new house," he promised. "I will fill you up and use my mouth on you afterwards as I promised I would. I will leave you slick through the night so that when we wake, I can slide right back into your heat. Oh, my darling, you will love fucking me. It has been so long. I will feel so tight around your cock. Mmm, you will make me scream with pleasure."

"Patience," Thor panted. "Wait until your birthday."

"Oh... Oh, I will. But can you wait that long? Mmm, yes, Thor, just a little more..."

His handkerchief was growing thin with constant washing, but Loki couldn't bring himself to care as they gasped against each other's skin.

He wasn't prepared for Milan. He couldn't remember ever seeing images of the city itself, just the treasures it contained. Even the scale of the place without its beauty was enough to take his breath away.

With its beauty on the other hand, it seemed to confirm even more that this could not possibly be the real world. He had fallen into a deep sleep and was dreaming this, content to never wake if he could stay here forever.

Househunting, as it so often did, brought him back down to earth with something of a bump. They had more needs now. They needed a home with the valet's room annexed from the main one, so that in the event of emergency Loki could claim to have wandered through rather than awoken in Thor's bed. They needed locks on the doors. Other preferences fell by the wayside in the search for these vital features.

The owner of the house they chose seemed surprised that they would select it over finer offerings. It wasn't very big, but that did not matter and neither did the faded and yellowing wallpaper. The moment they saw the main bedchamber which lead to a washroom with another, smaller room on the other side, they knew. The little hook locks on the doors were the decider and they were soon moved in.

Even though carrying their bags had hardly been taxing, Thor flopped down on the slightly threadbare couch before the unlit fire as though exhausted, spreading his arms wide in invitation.

It felt as natural as breathing for Loki to go and lie in his embrace.

Dinner could wait for a half hour or so.


	45. Sharing

Loki was nervous. He almost scolded himself for it. But still, he had never shared a bed as an adult.

In another life, so many years ago now, he had shared his childhood bed every night with one sibling or another. He was practically fought over by them, his days in the school house meaning he generally smelled a little better than one who had spent that time sweating in the stifling heat of the mine.

Still, he found himself worrying about throwaway comments long forgotten until just now. Jibes about how he kicked in the night, teasing comments about snoring and talking in his sleep. What if he kept Thor awake? What if he was a terrible bedmate?

Worse even, what if Thor was? How dreadful would it be to have his dreams shattered if he didn't like lying next to him? Would he have to bear it and allow his sleep to be interrupted to spare Thor's feelings?

They were both nervous, he could tell, little sparks seeming to flash between them through trying to plan their first full day in Milan and eating dinner. The food matched their new surroundings, nothing special but perfectly serviceable.

It was the little things. A brush of hands reaching for the bottle they were both partaking too much of. A stolen glance and then a hurried look away. They were so coy considering all they had done together and yet Loki loved it. Being the experienced one, the worldly one, had pleased him greatly, but this was a new step for both of them. It sent happy shivers down his spine to be embarking on new territory together.

He kept waiting for Thor to make the first step towards sex, too nervous to start it himself but sure he would be glad of it once begun. But it seemed Thor was likewise in a quandary and perhaps waiting for him. A stalemate then, but Loki felt it was one they were happy to submit to.

How strange it was to undress in front of Thor in a pedestrian manner, feeling his eyes on his flesh and sneaking his own glances in turn before they'd both concealed themselves beneath long nightshirts. They stood on either side of the bed, the little lock in place for added security as they pulled back the thin blanket.

"After you," Thor said, perhaps just to break the silence.

Loki slid between the sheets and reached for him, that familiar warmth and bulk coming to lie close beside him.

It took a moment to sort out their limbs, so many limbs and suddenly very little bed it seemed. He ended up using Thor's arm as a pillow, his own curled between their bodies as Thor pulled him closer with a hand on his waist.

The first kiss was tentative, soft. He could feel Thor's eyelashes fluttering against his face, his grip flexing slightly as they grew bolder, pressing deeper and ebbing and flowing in unspoken harmony.

He felt reverent somehow, wanting to kiss Thor's eyelid and the tip of his nose, the corner of his mouth, the edge of his jaw. He sighed into the junction of his shoulder, feeling sleep begin to creep over him, a dark velvet softness behind his eyes, a steady calm in his chest.

They rolled apart a little in the night and Loki woke almost with a start, worried that he was alone. That it had been a pleasant dream and nothing more.

Thor lay beside him, breath coming in near silent sighs, and Loki settled back among the pillows to watch as his forehead creased and a few muscles in his face twitched before finally his eyes opened and tried to focus on the world.

His smile at seeing Loki beside him was brighter than the dawn.

"Good morning," he croaked, voice rough and full of sleep.

Loki shuffled closer until Thor scooped him into his arms, holding him close to his heart, the steady beat beneath his ear like it was surely supposed to be.

"Yes," Loki said. "It is, isn't it?"


	46. Historical Interest

It took a lot of effort to get up, not least because Thor kept pulling him back for more kisses. Eventually though, he managed to extract himself and yank the blankets away from Thor, tutting at his whines.

"Come along. I asked the landlord to make an appointment at the convent for us. Get up or we'll be late."

Thor frowned a little.

"A convent? Are men even allowed into such places?"

"By appointment to see the important works of art, yes."

Compared to the chill of the mountain pass and even the pastoral journey to the city, it was suffocatingly warm. Loki tried his best to keep to the shadows as they made their way through winding streets to the Sainta Maria delle Grazie.

He'd seen drawings, but the red stone with its circular windows was very striking, so different to the abbeys and cathedrals at home, and the entrance was pleasantly cool, like slipping into a bath of just the right temperature.

There was a guide, a man employed to show them around, perhaps a lay brother from a nearby order. Certainly the occasional nun passing by, fingers pacing through rosaries, did not pay them much mind. This no doubt happened frequently.

Thor was a little distracted by the women in their habits. Of course, convents were rather rare in England. He quite possibly had never seen them before.

Loki could not flatter himself by claiming that his Italian was good enough to follow all that was said to him, but he understood enough. More amusing was seeing Thor's eyes light up at the mention of a familiar name, a grave pointed out in conjunction to it.

He'd remember, Loki was sure. It was a part of history he had been very interested in.

"He said Sforza," he whispered as they were led down another row of arches towards the nave.

"Yes. Come on, you remember. The Sforzas were related by marriage to your favourite Italian dynasty."

Thor gasped.

"The Borgias!"

"Indeed. But not so loud. I'm sure the church doesn't need reminding of them and their exploits."

The nave was missing a certain large painting that they had already seen in Paris, yet another looted treasure. But Loki's heart was beating quickly in the knowledge that soon they would reach the most famous image in Milan.

He had read about it countless times and seen copies on occasion. He had frowned over restoration attempts which seemed to have had varying degrees of success, for all that they were necessary.

The sight of the protective curtain almost had him reaching reflexively for Thor's hand, only just checking himself. This was not the place.

They kept it behind cloth in an attempt to protect the colours from fading in the sunlight and Loki positively quivered as they were drawn back by a rope pull.

And there it was. The Last Supper.

Even in its decrepit state, it was still a masterpiece. The cracking paint and signs of damp could not disguise the delicate brushstrokes or the expressive faces. Not even the evidence of where the French revolutionaries had scratched out the apostles' eyes could do that.

"It's huge," Thor breathed and Loki struggled not to laugh.

He did have a point though. Even knowing it was over twenty-five feet long did not fully prepare him for the sheer scale of it.

"Imagine what it must have looked like freshly painted," he said instead. "How beautiful and vibrant the colours would have been. This wall has survived the turmoil of this continent for nearly four centuries. I dare say it will still be here long after you and I are both dust. Just think; our friend Sforza back there may once have looked upon this very same painting."

"Is it still the same, even though it has been repainted?"

An interesting conundrum. Quite philosophical in fact.

"Of course," Loki said, sounding more sure than he was. "It's the emotion that matters in art after all."

Too quickly, their allotted time was up, the heavy curtain drawn back into place before they were shown out. Loki donated generously to the nuns on the way out. Anything to keep such a vital piece of history safe.

"Why do you care about it so much?" Thor asked while they searched for somewhere suitable for lunch. "I don't mean that I don't, just... Why does history speak to you so deeply?"

No-one had ever asked him such a question before and Loki took a few moments to consider an answer.

"I suppose because we live in times of great change. The valley I lived in as a child is all mining now, but the machinery to process it changes every day. Factories are springing up everywhere and new settlements rising up to support them with workers. New families are moving into what was previously the domain of ancestral nobles. Take your own, for example. A few generations ago, you were not as you are now. We think everything so fixed, borders and class and industry but history shows us that change can happen as a trickle or a flood. How long had Rome stood before the decline? How long did books take to be copied before the printing press? How long did France have kings before the Revolution? Just a week ago, you had your image made in a way your grandfather would have been amazed by. The railway will soon replace carriages and journeys such as ours will take days instead of weeks. History shows us where we've come from and gives us hints at where we're going."

"And where are we going?"

Loki shrugged.

"It's not a sure predictor," he admitted. "For all the clues in the world, sometimes the future comes as a shock."

They spent the afternoon wandering the streets, the breeze picking up quite pleasantly, though Thor still had a hint of redness on his nose from the sun by the time they returned home to dinner.

"A good first day?" Loki asked.

"Mm. Very interesting. And I know how we can make it even better."

He was stroking Loki's leg with one foot under the table. Such a flirt this boy was...

"Oh, really?" Loki said, playing innocent. "And how would you propose we do that?"

"Well... we have already slept in the bed. I think there is another pleasant use we might put it to."

Loki smiled into his glass, trying and failing not to give away what a wonderful idea he thought that was.


	47. Christening the New Bed

He made Thor wait, teasing him ruthlessly by slowing his eating to a crawl and kicking off one shoe to join in his game, going straight for the thigh and then further up to watch Thor squirm.

He should have expected Thor to seize his leg, but it was somehow still a surprise to feel a hand encircle his ankle and stray higher, stroking his calf.

"I think I shall begin here," Thor said thoughtfully, only the darkening of his eyes showing his arousal.

"For what?"

"Why, for kisses, of course."

Loki tried to remain stoic but he knew he wasn't managing and soon pulled his way out of Thor's grasp to stand up and beckon him through to _their_ bedchamber.

All pretense of teasing went rather put of the window for a time, Thor's eager hands flying over buttons and ties to almost completely strip them both before almost throwing Loki onto the bed and laughing as he practically wrestled him into place, pinning his arms above his head.

"Stay," he said before retreating down the bed to his ankles.

How could attention to such a relatively insensitive area be so erotic? Thor kissed the hard bone just above his foot and began making his way up the outside of his leg, worshipping his flesh in a simple, loving way, reaching his hip before reaching for the other leg. The inside was his target this time, making Loki shiver delightedly.

"Thor..." he tried. "Thor, please..."

"Hmm? Do you need something?"

"You. Mmm, I need you."

Thor smiled at him with a certain degree of hunger, the wolf gazing at a captured rabbit, and Loki was only too happy to bare his neck and be taken.

"I'm going to fetch the oil," he said. "Don't move."

Ah, so that's how he wanted to play it. Loki remained motionless as Thor walked backwards and naked out of the room but leapt into action the moment he was out of Thor's eyeline.

Behind the bed was easiest, but he wanted to pounce on Thor before he knew what was happening, so the obvious position of behind the door was best. His heart pounded in his chest, like he really was trying to surprise an intruder and not merely playing with Thor.

And it didn't help that he seemed to be gone for hours, finally reappearing and very nearly growling at the empty bed.

If Thor was a wolf, Loki's rabbit had become some kind of great cat, launching himself at Thor's back to topple him forwards into the pillows.

"How dare you?" he hissed, nibbling at Thor's ear. "You think you can tell me what to do?"

"Mmm, I don't know, sir. Perhaps you ought to remind me just who is in charge."

There was no oil in his hand and Loki surmised therefore that his torturous delay had been spent in preparation, sliding two fingers into him without preamble.

"Well, you certainly know how to please me, Thor," he said, shuffling back until he was standing and pulling Thor across the sheets to a better angle.

The bed was slightly too low for this kind of activity to be entirely practical, but that just added a new dimension, a slightly unusual angle that had Thor gasping even faster than usual as Loki pressed his cock into him.

His first thrusts were sloppy, unable to find a rhythm right away and distracted by the way Thor was clenching apparently involuntarily. That was only going to help with his plans.

"I'm going to be fast," he said, grinding down to make sure be was hear. "And then I'm going to lick my spill back out of you and make you climax that way. How does that sound?"

"Filthy. I want it."

Loki laughed at that, draping his body over Thor's so that he was kept almost completely sheathed, rocking his hips just a little.

"Work those muscles for me, darling. Mmm, yes, just like that. Oh, you feel so good. So warm and just perfect. I would sleep with my cock inside you if I could, held nice and tightly."

He occupied himself with kissing the back of Thor's neck and shoulders before rearing up and landing a slap on one thigh just to hear Thor yelp and laugh before moaning out as Loki picked up the pace. His fingers bunched in the sheets, whispers of "yes, yes, yes," falling from his lips.

Just a little more...

Loki shoved in as he came, wanting it deep, rocking a few times to ensure that he had spilled completely inside before easing out and helping Thor onto his back.

"I want you to see what I do to you," he said, placing soft kisses against his lips while Thor tried to grind upwards and find friction against his stomach. "Take yourself in hand and talk to me. Tell me what you want."

He slipped to his knees and placed Thor's legs on his shoulders, leaning close to his leaking hole, gazing up to where Thor was looking down.

"Sir... Oh, please, give me your mouth."

"And what shall I do with it?"

"Lick me? Please, I need it."

A clear request. Loki laid a long swipe of tongue through Thor's cleft, catching some of his own spend while Thor moaned.

"More... Mm, more, please."

He'd teased enough.

Thor cried out and sobbed as he began focusing his attention on his relaxed hole, licking inside right away, alternating lapping with pressing in.

"Ah, yes! Oh, sir, please, fuck me with your tongue."

"Greedy," Loki teased, but did just that, plunging his tongue where Thor needed it and feeling the way his muscles stuttered and spasmed as he spilled all over his torso.

Loki eased his trembling legs down to the floor and helped him to his feet, the little washroom beckoning.

"So, remind me, who is in charge?"

"Oh, you are, sir. Unless you tell me otherwise."

"Hmm. Good answer."


	48. June in Milan

Thor prodded the rice suspiciously with his fork, still so unused to unfamiliar food. Loki tried not to laugh at him as he sampled his own plate, the rich, buttery sauce divine with the silky smooth grains.

"Trust me, it's delicious."

"Why is it yellow? I don't think food should be yellow."

"Thor, your farm makes cheese."

"Cheese is white. And not even butter is so yellow as this."

"It's saffron. Very expensive, quite a delicacy. Can you not smell how good it is?"

Suitably convinced, Thor tried a small forkful. And then a larger one. Before long he was visibly enjoying it, only slowing when Loki told him to savour it. Risotto was quite the treat, especially in such fine surroundings as these.

Milan had become something of a playground for them. It was such a vibrant city, so full of art and architecture. Thor had indicated early that he had no particular wish to try to enter Milanese society and Loki couldn't blame him after what happened in Paris. Besides, it meant he could keep him all to himself.

It had been nearly a month since they arrived, their longest stay in one place so far since the three weeks or so they'd spent in Paris, and during that time Loki felt he had seen a lifetime of wonders. The day they had visited the cathedral had been a particular highlight, in sheer scale alone.

They had wandered the outside, staring at the vastly differing building styles from centuries of work, right down to the front facade that had only been completed when Napoleon was yet emperor. It seemed like a forest of flying buttresses, the gargoyles and grotesques nestled among them like monstrous squirrels. Up high on the roof, glinting in the sun, was the Madonna, gilded and shining and nearly impossible to see from ground level.

Thor liked cathedrals and chapels very much, though sometimes Loki wondered if that was merely due to the peace or the cool air that always leeched from the stones, refreshing after the heat outside. Their London waistcoats had been left at the bottom of their suitcases in favour of lighter silk ones from a local tailor.

Of course, there were certain aspects of cathedrals that Thor was less enamoured towards than stained glass and interesting carvings. Relics evoked a kind of horror in him. Bones he could deal with, and hair, but the first piece of dried skin they saw had him morbidly fascinated while simultaneously a little disgusted.

He became rather good at recognising his saints as well as classical figures. He could spot St Sebastian or Christopher as readily as Minerva or Venus. He bought a book of drawings and prints of some of the more famous statues, interested in the different carving styles.

Loki attributed this entirely to the statue of St Bartholomew in Milan Cathedral.

The imposing figure was stood beside the altar, gazing rather sadly towards the viewer, a sort of shawl draped around him.

"His legs are very muscular," Thor whispered. "But his chest seems strange."

"Well, I expect you'd look rather strange too if you'd had your skin flayed off and had to wear it as your robe."

How Thor's eyes had widened. Loki had noticed that his local church seemed to have been rather more concerned with the four Gospel writers than any other apostles or saints. The violent ends that many of them had met were not discussed and so great was Thor's interest in the iconography of this previously unknown aspect of his faith that Loki almost thought he would convert to Catholicism.

It was perhaps fortunate that he did not. Confessing all that he and Loki did together could easily give an elderly priest a heart attack.

He was amazed at how their intimate relationship had grown. The rush born of fear of discovery could be interspersed with long sessions of kissing and touching, rolling hips and breathy moans. Sharing a bed turned out to be a blessing for the most part. More than once, Thor woke him with gentle kisses or a hand on his cock, easing him into consciousness to start the day with pleasure. It more than made up for the nights when he woke up sweating because the furnace of Thor's body was overheating him after the daytime sun.

Of course, Thor had ensured that he followed through with his promise to take him in every room, all five of them. The couch and the small valet's bed were far more successful than their experiments with the low dining table and the tin bathing tub. Those bruises had lasted for days.

Tonight though, they were being respectable. They had secured tickets for a performance at La Scala, the renowned opera house. Not particularly good seats, but good enough, and besides, it was an evening's experience complete with pre-theatre dinner and dressing up finely.

Thor was resplendent and simple, his hair tied back with a ribbon of the same pale blue that ran through his current waistcoat, just enough to set off his eyes and make them seem even brighter. Loki had allowed Thor to dress him, pleased that he decided on black and so indulging him by wearing one of his coloured cravats, a subtle enough one in burnished gold.

"I like having you wear my things without anyone knowing," Thor confessed. "It's like a secret token."

Loki understood what he meant. From entering the restaurant to finishing their sparkling wine to walking through the velvet and gold foyer of the opera house, Loki noticed the admiring glances thrown in their direction. Did Thor know the effect he was having? If he was, he was not showing it.

They were shown to their seats by a young man carrying a lantern and then left in semi-darkness. Very few other people were this far back. Focusing on just the bright glow of the stage, he could almost believe this was a private show just for them.

Somewhere during the overture, Thor's hand came to rest near his knee. Loki blinked once or twice, but did not remove it. During the first act, it drifted higher and higher until, for the sake of decency, Loki was forced to push it away, trying not to join in with Thor's stifled giggles.

"You are incorrigible," he said quietly during the interval

"You liked it."

"Yes, well... That's hardly an excuse."

Thor laughed at that but behaved himself through the rest of the performance and on the journey home.

"It's only two weeks until your birthday," he said thoughtfully as they were preparing for bed.

"I know. I'm looking forward to it."

Thor blushed a little. Funny how he could still find it in himself to be embarrassed.

"I think we should try to be in Florence for it."

"Are you tired of Milan?"

"Not at all, but I know you were particularly keen to be there. And I want.... I want it to be perfect."

A perfect birthday. Loki didn't suppose he had had such a thing before.

He slid across the bed and kissed Thor's hopeful face.

"I know it will be perfect," he said. "And if you want to be in Florence, we will go."

"I just hope that I don't disappoint you."

"Don't worry. You won't."

It took a good number of kisses before Thor seemed soothed enough to sleep.


	49. Journeying Again

If they travelled for eight hours every day, not including Sunday of course, they would take a week to reach Florence. For Thor's wish of perfection to come true, Loki thought they ought to arrive a little before the 14th to be sure of finding a suitable property and becoming settled.

Unfortunately, that meant they had only a few days to leave their beloved Milan with all its wonders and its shared bed. Loki was sure that a similar arrangement could be found in Florence, but on the road, they were at the mercy of guest houses for even sharing a room, let alone a bed.

They made the best of the last night, all gently rolling hips and soft moans muffled by kisses, fingers laced together. Smoothing the blankets in the morning felt like a real loss, leaving a sanctuary and stepping out to find a new home.

It could have been worse, he supposed. Italy was very beautiful and the roads here were surprisingly smooth. All those centuries of working with Roman foundations perhaps.

They tried to stop regularly, stretching their legs in village after village, all of which of course reminded Thor of home. He would smile at first at the sight of a child feeding hens or hearing the whistle of a shepherd, but then he would grow melancholy. Loki knew what he was thinking of. A longing to be back there followed by the memory that their return would be the precursor to separation.

The sight of the smoke of a big city would come as a relief. Reminders would not be so common there and distractions would be easier to come by.

He did his best to take Thor's mind off it. He had every intention of staying in Florence for months, right into autumn, perhaps only moving on to Rome for Christmas. He talked incessantly about all they would see and do, thinking aloud about all the opportunities for culture and learning.

Sometimes Thor would kiss him just to make him stop babbling.

And, of course, they found time to be more intimate as well as they could. The risk was almost arousing, hands working quickly in case they came to a halt unexpectedly.

One particular occasion would be vividly in Loki's memory for the rest of his days. They had stopped for lunch in the midst of some woodland. The heat of the day was oppressive and their driver decided to take a sleep in what little shade he could find, an excellent idea, though having already dozed for part of the route, Loki couldn't claim to be interested in following suit.

Instead, he felt a walk was in order, falling into step by Thor's side to wander beneath the trees. Perhaps there would be a stream or a pool where they could cool down a little.

Thor, as usual, had other ideas.

They had walked a fair distance along the path, well away from the road, sunlight dappling down upon their faces as he took Loki's hand and pulled him to the side behind a particularly old and thick tree.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked, though he could guess easily enough.

"I need you," Thor said, pushing him back against the trunk and grinding against him.

"So insatiable today. I made you spill not two hours ago."

"I love your hands," kissing them to prove it. "But I want you in my mouth, sir."

Loki's knees almost went weak at such an open request, his cock swelling as Thor tugged at the laces.

"This is dangerous," he managed. "What if our driver comes looking for us?"

Thor dropped to his knees, cushioned by rich green moss, and gazed up at him, grinning.

"I'll just have to finish you quickly then."

He ran his tongue up the length of Loki's cock before taking it between his lips, humming and sucking hard. Loki felt his head hit the tree, gasping out but trying not to moan. They might not be alone out here. Anyone could be walking by mere feet away. The sunlight dazzled him, shining through his eyelids.

Thor grunted, catching his attention. He was looking upwards, adoringly, looking for praise no doubt.

"Yes," Loki whispered. "Oh, yes, yes... Mmm, keep going."

A little encouragement went a long way, Thor bobbing his head and employing all the tricks he knew to make Loki spill with a desperate, choked cry.

Thor stood up and dusted off his knees, dislodging at least one curious insect.

"I can't wait to be in Florence," he said. "You'll be able to talk to me again when we are alone."

"Don't I talk enough?"

"I mean... intimate talk."

Loki smiled at him, sensing a chance for fun.

"Oh, I see what you wanted. You wanted me to tell you what a sweet mouth you have. How good you are at sucking me, how much I love it."

He swapped their positions easily, his lips inches away from Thor's ear as he drew out his cock and began to stroke.

"Of course, that is not the only part of your body I love. Your hands, so warm on my flesh, the way you cling to me. Those legs that spread for me, those tight thighs. The flesh that shakes when I fuck you."

Thor's hips stuttered forwards, trying to thrust into Loki's grip. He held still, letting Thor do the work.

"That's it, use my hand. Take what you want."

A strangled grunt. Thor's eyes were screwed shut, his mouth open around silent moans.

"Is this how you'll fuck me, Thor? So fast and hard... Mmm, I cannot wait. Soon I will have this cock inside me, filling me up, making me feel so good. I dream of it. It's been so long since I had a nice, hard..."

Thor yelped and spilled. Helpfully enough, it missed Loki's hand and fell on the ground. Quite literally planting his seed, it seemed.

"I am nervous about it, you know," Thor said as they wandered back towards the carriage. "What if I'm... bad at it?"

"Hush. Don't worry. It will be well."

He didn't want to admit that he was nervous too. It had been a long time since he had indulged in such an act and Thor was not exactly small.

There would be oil available in Florence, of course. He was going to need it.


	50. Arrival in Florence

Oh, _Florence..._

Loki was slightly concerned that he had built it up too much, that it couldn't help but disappoint him, but even arriving on a bright morning had him in a good mood that nothing could shift.

Thor squeezed his hand, smiling at his evident joy. They paid the driver a little extra, pushing their happiness forwards as they put the carriage into storage and set out to find a place to live.

Not that they couldn't explore a little first.

Thor walked across the Ponte Vecchio open-mouthed, the buildings upon the very river itself just as beautiful as Loki had imagined.

"If only one of these buildings was available for lease."

"Oh, Thor, don't get greedy."

"Don't pretend you don't want it too."

He couldn't. He'd love to stay on such an iconic street, listening to the Arno flowing beneath them. But such things were not to be. They had to go several streets over to meet with a letting agent and then even further from the centre to their first option.

Thor had become picky. Locks were the first necessary thing, but he wanted perfection. Only after seven houses had been rejected did Loki politely suggest that maybe compromise was necessary.

"The third one was best, but it had no lock," Thor said.

"Then which was the best with a lock?"

"The fifth."

"Well, then..."

It was not a bad set of rooms by any means. None of them were. There was distinctive signs of badly behaved former tenants. Scorched marks around the fireplace and stains on one or two of the furnishings that looked like spilled wine. Clean though and with a soft bed.

Thor flopped down fully clothed upon it and beckoned until Loki slipped off his shoes and joined him.

"I have missed having you in my arms."

"Really?" Loki teased. "I would never have guessed."

Thor huffed at him.

"So... What shall we do in Florence first?"

"Dinner. And then plan the next few days."

Their new maid was very cheerful, very glad that they were there. Loki got the impression that she would earn more with tenants living there than just for maintainence cleaning.

Tomato. So much tomato. Delicious, but very much tomato centric. He didn't envy the person charged with cleaning the napkins.

"So, art, history, religion?" Loki said. "Which would you prefer?"

"Whichever you like. We'll get to them all eventually, won't we?"

"Oh, definitely. I intend to put down roots here and soak up as much of the city as I can."

"Roots? And what plant are you? Not wheat, so easily swayed in the wind, but not something so dull as a stately tree. Not a rose... More stable than that. Not ivy. No, I know it. Gorse."

Loki had held his tongue at Thor's attempts at poetry, but couldn't keep in a snort at that.

"Gorse? Those spikes that tear up everything?"

"Spikes against the unwary, but the sweetest golden flowers and the just delicate scent."

"Thor, stop. You'll be calling me the moon in a moment."

"And why not? If I wish to speak such nonsenses, why shouldn't I?"

"Because it is ridiculous. Save your pretty words for your future wife and speak sense to me."

That made him quiet suddenly and Loki groaned internally. Here he would go again, sad at the very idea.

"History tomorrow, I think," he said, trying to distract him. "They dig up new discoveries every day here. Think how amazing that is, to discover something unseen for centuries, to cast eyes and touch an object last touched by some unknown ancestor."

Thor nodded, looking rather glum all the same.

He would cheer up. He always did. And in time he would face the truth.

And between times, they had all of Florence to explore and enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls yell if typos


	51. An Apt Purchase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure: this chapter contains virtually no historical research. I have no idea how the selling of antiquities actually happened back in the 19th century. Probably not like this.

Archeology was something Loki found interesting but very much as a means to an end. He appreciated the work and skill that went into it, but he wasn't so keen on the digging and hard labour parts, preferring the cleaned recovered objects.

Thor, true as ever to his earthy self, was of course instantly fascinated by the team of workers from the moment they arrived at the site, a little way out of the city.

Apparently the owner of the land had found several items during routine farming, coins and little tesserae from mosiacs, and had therefore rented out his land to the artefact hunters.

That's what they were, ultimately. Loki winced slightly as he watched the excavations, no-one taking as much care as he would have hoped for such precious objects.

There were English speakers around, of course. Victoria's museums did not fill themselves with treasures from far and wide. Nor did the grand houses. Loki had once worked for a woman with a love of blue Chinese porcelain that bordered on mania. She employed agents to travel there and ship it back by weight for her to put into room after room. He'd lived in constant fear that one day he might be asked to teach her son Cantonese.

The sellers saw Thor coming, that was for sure. A young man of evident wealth, taking great interest in the ground. Yes, here was a likely prospect.

"Are you looking to buy, sir?"

Thor blinked in surprise.

"Buy?"

"Marbles, sir. Finest Roman statues. We have several available. Venus, perhaps? Diana, the huntress? Galatea? All very beautiful, enough to make you fall in love with the very stone."

Loki was slightly proud of the sceptical face Thor made. He had learned that expression. He had learned not to accept everything at face value.

Still, he followed into a large canvas tent that turned out to be full of a whole gallery's worth of sculpture. Some were being wrapped to keep them safe in transit while others bore labels identifying their buyer.

"Do you think I should?" Thor asked quietly.

"It's your money," Loki said. "If you find one you like... Well, it's up to you."

Thor began walking between the rows of figures. They were clearly aimed at young men, the female nudes placed prominently. Loki wondered if some of the labels were correct in some cases. It seemed as though anything with breasts - which ranged from realistic enough that a heart might beat beneath them to what seemed to be last moment additions without much attention paid to anatomy - without another obvious signifier was said to be a Venus.

"Have these all been dug up here?" Thor asked.

"I doubt it. They'll have a warehouse, cart them near to the site to attract potential buyers."

Thor paused for a long while in front of one statue, a small female figure in a crouch, labelled as a nymph. Loki could quite see the appeal. The stone face somehow conveyed a sense of mischief and intelligence in contrast to the serene countenance of all her sisters.

But as he had almost expected would happen, Thor eventually moved beyond the women and into the male statues. He would be looking for one of his favourites. Mars in his finery perhaps or Neptune in his seafoam.

He almost walked into Thor when he stopped suddenly, pointing into the midst of the figures.

"That one?" he called to the agent, pointing. "Is that one for sale?"

Loki followed his finger to one almost hidden at the back. It was of a handsome young man, slender as such statues often were, but with something strange about his abdomen. Loki finally identified it as an arm wrapped around him, evidence of a lost partner in the original composition.

"Can I see it more closely?" Thor asked.

"That one? Sir, it is damaged," the seller said. "It is Cupid and should be paired with his love, Psyche. Alas, they have been broken apart at some point, both losing an arm. No doubt someone owns her alone and leaves poor Cupid to nurse his heart."

Loki rolled his eyes. It was a rock. A very pretty rock, carved with great skill, but it could hardly feel anything.

Thor carefully made his way through to the statue, running the tip of his finger across the join where Psyche's dismembered limb still clung to her husband and the ragged break at their elbows, the carefully etched fletching on Cupid's wings, even the curve of his lips where he smiled at the space where she once stood. Judging from the angle, they had stood side by side, facing opposite ways but faces turned towards one another, their arms encircling each other's waists.

Then Thor retreated, returning to his nymph, examining her once again.

"How much for this one?" he asked.

"A beauty, is she not? The expression is particularly fine. Unique."

"I quite agree. Stunning. Your price, please?"

"To you, sir, having such fine taste, I would accept ninety British pounds."

Loki felt a stab in his gut. That was almost what he made in a year. Yes, this was probably a once-only opportunity for Thor, but still. Such a lot.

"And for Cupid without Psyche?" Thor asked. "Bearing in mind that he is damaged and without his lady love. Surely he is only here to help fill out the space. Worth much less than a complete work, I would have thought."

It was difficult not to smirk. Well played, Thor. Asking for a baseline price for something more valuable would give him a lot of negotiation space. The seller stammered for a moment before asking for fifty. Twenty, Thor offered, brazenly low.

They settled at thirty, Thor carefully writing out his address for shipping and shaking the man's hand warmly.

"Well done," Loki murmured as they left. "But Cupid? I thought you much preferred the more active figures."

Thor shrugged.

"It spoke to me. Lovers ripped apart. How different it looks now to how it might when complete. His smile, once of love is now of loss. Her touch is now a phantom. Longing become missing. A subtle change perhaps but... I liked it. I wanted to take him home. Put him pride of place somewhere."

Loki pretended not to follow Thor's thoughts, but they both knew he was lying.


	52. July 14th

Loki felt like he was adrift on a soft cloud bank, being kissed insistently by what could only be some kind of angel.

Cupid coming to steal him away?

He frowned in his sleep and mumbled something against the lips exploring his own, instinctively reaching for the unseen figure.

Long hair, broad back, strong arms... Not Cupid at all. Thor, of course, his own sweet angel kissing him awake.

His eyes finally fluttered open, getting mostly peach-coloured skin close to him to begin with. He sighed and arched and felt Thor's hands start to roam, running down his sides and straying upwards under his nightclothes.

"Good morning," he said, stroking up Loki's thigh. "And happy birthday."

"I'd forgotten."

Thor laughed. It was a lie. Of course he hadn't forgotten. He'd had trouble falling asleep for excitement.

He was distantly aware that a lot of children were very excited on the nights before their birthdays. He'd put up with distracted lessons for one day a year since he started teaching. He'd never thought he might experience that joy himself.

Evidently, Thor had planned everything and had managed to sneak away and speak to the staff. His Italian was rather rudimentary so goodness knew how he'd done it. Maybe one of them spoke English. Or Latin.

Gone were the usual breakfast things of bread and fruit and in its place, rich smoked fish and fried vegetables, hot and delicious and filling.

"We're going to have a busy day," Thor said. "Lots of walking around. The carriage should be here in about an hour so there's no rush."

"And where are we going?"

Thor smiled across the table at him, just a tiny bit smug.

"It's a surprise. But I think you'll like it. We will be gone for most of the day, hence such a large morning meal and then back here to change before dinner."

"And then after dinner...?"

Thor suddenly grew interested in his teacup, cheeks going a little pink.

"Yes. After dinner."

He really was adorable sometimes. Loki took his time, savouring the work of the cook and the general relaxation of not being responsible for the day's plan, choosing his green waistcoat.

"Won't you be too warm in that?" Thor asked.

"If I am, I shall just have to take off my jacket."

Thor hissed playfully.

"And let all the young men and women of Florence see you half-dressed? No. I cannot allow that. You would drive them all wild with desire."

"Telling me what I may and may not wear now, are we?"

Loki tried to turn on his sternness, walking right up to Thor to intimidate him. Thor rather ruined the effect by kissing him softly.

"You look very handsome."

Their carriage awaited and Loki tried to guess where Thor might be taking him. The Duomo perhaps, the beautiful cathedral. Perhaps the Uffizi gallery to see all the treasures within.

He was surprised when they stopped outside a building he had never seen a representation of, flat and ordinary-looking with tiny balconies and barely any ornamentation.

"Where are we?"

"I hope you like it."

Loki stepped from the carriage and shielded his eyes against the morning sunlight to read the sign by the door. Biblioteca Riccardiana.

"A library?"

Thor smiled at him.

"I asked the maid, Dolce, for the best place to take a book lover and she recommended it. Come on. I asked for all the best manuscripts to be displayed for you."

Loki shook his head in disbelief.

"When did you find the time to organise that? You've not been out of my sight long enough."

"I found the time. I wrote notes of inquiry while you were bathing and once or twice when writing to my father at the same time. I'm just lucky they understand English and were very polite to me. I just wanted something special."

Special was the right word. Loki gasped as they entered. The interior was stunning, decorated with frescos and golden plasterwork, marble floor tiles and the _books_...

Thor spoke to one of the clerks who nodded immediately and hurried off, returning with another man in wire-rimmed spectacles who bowed before extending his hand to them.

"Mr Odinson and Mr Laufeyson, welcome to the Biblioteca Riccardiana. Brought to this location in 1670..."

He began walking, informing them of the history of the collection and the family who began gathering it, how it was now owned by the most prominent academy of Italian linguists. Loki was awed by everything, a little overcome by it.

And he was not prepared for the manuscripts. Ancient and tiny biblical fragments. Works by Macheiavelli. But most importantly of all...

"Pliny? This is the Roman author Pliny?"

"A tenth-century copy, yes. One of the earliest we have of his Naturalis Historia."

Loki almost sobbed. Tenth century. And here they were in the 19th. The manuscript was made almost exactly between Pliny's writing of the original and Loki's reading of it. Amazing.

Their guided tour was over but they were invited to spend the rest of the day there and Loki intended to do just that, poring over this great Roman encyclopedia. A more modern copy, of course. His nerves could not stand to be in the presence of such a precious object for fear of damaging it.

"I wish..." he began at one point, silencing himself immediately.

"What?" Thor asked.

"Nothing. Just I wish that I could have access to a library like this all the time. If I had funds and leisure enough, I would return to university and learn everything I could."

Thor smiled at him.

"Sometimes I feel that the more I learn, the more I realise there is to be learned. You know more than me, so the effect much be heightened further for you."

The hours flew by far too quickly for Loki's liking, carrying an armful of notes out with him when their time was up and seeing Thor pay the gentleman who had exhibited the manuscripts for them. He wondered how much of a 'donation' he would have had to make for such special treatment. Far more than Loki could possibly afford no doubt.

"Thank you," he said in the carriage, unable to convey the depths of it.

Thor shrugged. "You deserve it."

Loki slid across the seat to kiss him, just one for now. It wouldn't do to get over-excited.

He wanted to eat before any other activities.


	53. New Experiences

There was steak for dinner. Loki had noticed that the regional food was generally rather meat-based, but this kind of rich dish was still special.

"What did you tell them?" Loki asked. "The staff, I mean, to explain all this."

"The truth. That I wanted to celebrate the occasion of my dearest friend's birth."

He could not describe the meal as awkward. It was full of a deep tension though. They both knew what was going to happen afterwards. Their mutual desire and nerves seemed to overflow almost, spilling out in the strangest ways. Eyes lingering on fingers and lips, voices dropping lower without conscious thought, toes curling within their shoes...

Loki knew it was his role to assuage Thor's fears. He knew what they were, of course; fear that he would be a disappointing lover, that he would lose some of his desirability when this shortcoming was discovered. And it wouldn't help to tell him that no-one was skilled in their first attempt but that a little communication and enthusiasm would go a long way.

This was not the time for a lesson. It was time to be patient and let Thor learn for himself. If past experience was anything to go by, he would pick it up quickly enough.

Thor wolfed his food when he was worried. It was a trait Loki had noticed in him on a few occasions, especially when they were in guest houses. Some kind of primal response that demanded he stock up on energy just in case.

As it was, the gap between him finishing and Loki polishing off his portion would hopefully give his stomach enough of a space to settle.

He took his time, knowing Thor was watching him, deliberately drawing attention to his lips and throat, seeing every worried clenching of his hands and every swallow. Eventually, Loki finished, softly pressing his napkin to his mouth.

"Shall we retire?" he asked.

Thor let out a nervous sigh and nodded, going to ring the bell to let Dolce know they were finished.

He seemed more relaxed when Loki took his hand crossing the parlour and gave it a light squeeze. The lock on their room clicked into place and for a moment, neither of them moved.

Loki blinked first, reaching to undo Thor's cravat and begin working on his buttons. He could feel his fingers trembling and paused to press a kiss to his lips.

"It's alright," he whispered. "You still want to?"

"Yes. Yes, but I..."

"Ssh... It will be good. I promise."

He finished undressing them and led Thor to the bed, keen to kiss and touch some more, to relax them both. Even though they had done this countless times, Thor seemed like he was starting over, his hands almost clumsy.

It soon became clear why. Loki gasped as Thor groped his arse with purpose. He had touched before, but never like this, his fingers slipping curiously into the cleft and pressing against his hole.

"Oil," Loki said, Thor already moving to fetch it, along with a towel.

"Can I do it? Can I prepare you?"

Loki hesitated. He had thought to do it himself, being careful and taking his time. But if Thor wanted it...

"Be gentle with me. It's been a long time."

The oil was cold against his skin, Thor's fingers hot in comparison as he lay on his stomach, legs spread to let Thor kneel between them.

He let out a sigh as Thor started to push one finger inside, his body resisting a little.

"Is this...?"

"Mm-hm. Just one for now, in and out. It will get easier."

He concentrated on his breathing, on letting go of tension. He focused on the glide of Thor's finger, on the way it was reaching so close to where he needed it.

"Press forwards a little," he murmured, moaning as Thor found the right spot. "Another, give me another. Stretch me, but be careful."

He could hear Thor's breathing, his excitement evident as he began scissoring his fingers. Minutes passed before Loki told him to stop.

"How do you want me?"

"However you like."

Loki turned onto his back.

"I like it this way," he said. "Face to face."

Thor crawled over him, his oil-slicked hand leaving marks on the sheet. Loki bore down at the first touch of Thor's cock against his entrance, clinging to his back as he pushed inside.

He realised that he was gasping for breath, digging in his nails a little.

"Are you alright?" Thor asked.

"A moment. Let me adjust."

To his credit, Thor held back, laying reverent kisses on his face until Loki felt ready for him to move. They both sighed gently on the first thrust, Loki arching upwards as Thor rolled his hips.

"Good?" he asked.

"Oh, _Loki..._ "

That did it. Loki bucked upwards, crying out at the harder strokes that followed, both of them getting into their stride. Neither could speak anything more than breathy moans of "yes", their bodies falling into synchrony.

It didn't last. It couldn't, they were both far too on edge for that. Loki forced a hand down between them to grasp his own cock, stroking quickly as Thor's thrusts began to stutter.

Oh, the feeling of Thor spilling inside him. How long it had been since he had last felt that sensation. It helped him finish, staining their skin and panting into kisses.

"Sorry," Thor mumbled. "I hoped it would be longer."

"Well... clearly we'll just have to try again later."

Thor sighed happily, snuggling into his chest.

"Happy birthday, sir."


	54. Debauchery and Romance

Unfortunately for Loki's time management, more sexual options seemed somehow to double Thor's already insatiable lust. For several days, Loki woke up with aches and twinges in his muscles. Enjoyable ones, but there all the same, reminding him of their existence every time he sat down.

Thor worshipped his flesh. It was extremely flattering but did sometimes exhaust him. He was not as young as Thor, not as able to rest so quickly.

"This is all to come for you," he warned. "Along with all manner of other problems. Enjoy your short recovery time while you have it."

"I'm trying to."

The worst thing was how quickly he felt himself grow accustomed and even close to addicted to sex at any and all hours of the day. And, as was always the case, Thor learned his technique quickly.

Although their favourite position was still face to face, Thor liked having their bodies aligned on their sides so he could grip Loki's hips and pull him close, seating himself deep inside.

"Mmm..."

"You like that, don't you, sir? Being full."

"Move. Come on, give it to me."

"But you're keeping my cock so warm."

Oh, he was going to pay for that. Loki started bucking in his grasp, getting the motion he wanted. Thor moaned behind him, reaching for his cock and wrapping his hand around it to give him something to fuck into.

"Tighter," Loki bit out. "Tighten your grip."

"And let you come without working for it?"

"This is dangerous ground, Thor."

"Are you going to punish me, sir?"

He was such a brat sometimes. Loki clenched hard just to hear him groan at it.

"Yes, I am. Though I fear that will only encourage you."

Thor laughed but did finally begin to thrust, making Loki climax easily with just a few more strokes to his cock.

He had a fascination with spilling inside and with watching as his cock slipped in, liking to go slowly and look closely.

"I'm just amazed that it can happen," he said. "That such a tight space can yield like that. And I don't get to see it on myself, not properly."

Not that he didn't try. He still loved taking Loki into his body, riding him to completion when Loki simply couldn't find the energy to be too physical.

And after Thor's little stunt, it was almost too easy to convince him to hold Loki's cock inside afterwards one night, enduring the slight discomfort for the pleasure of feeling it twitch and harden once more inside him.

They felt like the first couple in the world, like the first people to have discovered sex. Every day brought a new idea or position. Loki did his best to rinse the towels they used every night in an effort to disguise the stains. Oil was the worst of it. It seemed to get everywhere no matter how careful they tried to be.

They spent a week enjoying one another, only stopping to eat, sleep and to hurriedly dress so the staff would believe then merely very studious and not grossly lazy.

"We really need to leave the house one of these days," Loki announced one morning, staring at a crack in the bedroom ceiling.

"Do we?"

"Yes, Thor. Florence is out there in all its glory and we are failing to experience it."

"I think you're more glorious than Florence."

Loki blinked a few times.

"Thor, Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance and home to some of the greatest works of European art ever made."

"I know. But I don't love Florence. I can't gaze into Florence's eyes. I can't hear its heartbeat or make it smile. It doesn't tell me its dreams."

Loki sighed. He dreaded these moments, when Thor grew philosophical and spoke of love. He just didn't feel the need to voice his feelings, even if sometimes he did wake in the night and marvel at the curve of Thor's sleeping lashes or the steady rise and fall of his chest, or smile at just the thought of his voice.

"I'm serious. Tomorrow, we're going to the Uffizi gallery. No arguing."

Thor nuzzled into him.

"Yes, sir. I promise to behave... tomorrow."

"And today?"

He couldn't hold back his laughter as Thor rolled on top of him, growling playfully.

It would be a miracle if he could walk around the gallery without discomfort. But that was a problem to be dealt with later.


	55. Debates

He successfully eased Thor back into the world of culture. August arrived with oppressive heat and so the cool sanctuary of the numerous cathedrals and chapels became an oasis against the blaring sun. Not that the weather stopped Loki taking Thor to see the great statue of David by Michelangelo at the Palazzo della Signoria, all 17 feet of it.

Though, of course, that wasn't what caught Thor's attention.

"Stop giggling. You've seen enough of them to be beyond that."

"But it's so small!"

Loki scoffed as though he wasn't stifling his own laughter. He really ought to be more mature than to find himself laughing at a statue's tiny penis, but Thor seemed to be bringing out the worst in him all too easily these days.

And as for the Uffizi...

It couldn't be enjoyed in one day. That was just impossible. There was just too much to see. The statues alone took days to see, let alone the votive paintings and the classical works. Thor loved the Venus emerging from the clam shell, the Botticelli. He would happily have gazed at her for hours, pointing out the skill in the folded cloth, the almost living bloom of her flesh. Loki thought that he probably enjoyed gazing at that flesh a little too much, but who could blame him? She was beautiful, after all.

He could happily have moved into the Tribuna, a eight-sided room containing some of the most incredible works in the collection. Put a bed in it and he would live there.

"Say what you will of the Medicis and their political machinations," he murmured to Thor as they visited for the third time. "I'm glad they gave us this."

"That's the test, isn't it? What people in the future will think of us."

"Mmm. What do you think they'll make of us then?"

"As an era? Well, great advancements are being made in science and medicine. I think they will approve of us."

It seemed like a fair assessment, but Loki loved a challenge and to make Thor demonstrate critical thinking.

"We have also invaded and ransacked huge swathes of the world."

"Like the Romans."

"Rome fell."

It was testament to Thor's gentle nature that he rarely rose to Loki's contrary remarks, preferring to simply smile at him. It was a combative action in itself, a sign that he knew what Loki was doing and was choosing not to engage.

As such, when he did respond to a comment, it was clear he was very invested in what he was saying.

One such case was about the grand palaces. Loki made an off-hand remark at dinner one night about ostentation and how shocking it was to build such things while people starved on the street.

Thor frowned a little, sitting back in his chair.

"I agree that more should be done to help the poor, but the buildings must have employed people. Skilled craftsmen must have carved the facades. Builders laid the foundations and raised the walls. And they still stand. We still admire their work."

"But we don't know their names. We know the names of the people who ordered it built but not the people who did the work."

It was rather cruel of him, he thought, fighting dirty to force Thor into a corner.

Then again, Thor was starting to learn from his example.

"If it weren't for such people, these collections you love so much might not exist. They protected the artworks."

"Stole them more like."

"Commissioned in many cases. How would artists live if they were not paid?"

"True. But where did the money come from in the first place if not by exploiting others? Paying workers low wages, employing children..."

There was no way out. Thor huffed a little to himself.

"You think so little of my ancestors."

Loki was genuinely surprised. He hadn't realised Thor was taking it to heart so.

"I was talking about the Medicis, actually. It wasn't personal."

Thor looked at him across the table like he didn't believe that at all.

"I never thought about it before," he said, morosely pushing a rogue piece of potato around his plate. "Money. How unfair it is. I have more than I really know what to do with, but I need to beware, for a single bad harvest could cripple the estate and risk the livelihoods of everyone living there. I need contingencies. So I need to have funds readily to hand. But is that right? Shouldn't I give it all to the workers and trust that they know their own business? But then again, I am the employer, it is for me to take the responsibility."

The conversation had gone a little bit away from where Loki had anticipated.

"Thor, I've spent my entire adult life around the wealthy. Some richer than you, some not. I have met landowners who charged extortionate rents, factory owners who did not care about children losing fingers or eyes through unsafe conditions, even while they berated me for being too strict with their own progeny. You are not a bad man. That you are even aware of the problem is a good step. It is your actions that will define you. You treat your tenants and your staff well, you understand and partake in the work. You will be a fine estate manager."

He took Thor's hand across the table and squeezed it, trying to be reassuring.

"I suppose you are right. It's just the reality of it seems to be rushing towards me in a way I had not noticed before."

Loki looked at him and felt like he was seeing a transition, Thor the boy he had been and the man he would become meeting in this strange, worried interlude.

"You'll manage. I know you will," he said.

"I expect I shall have to."

Despite his rapidly approaching cares, at least he squeezed back, though Loki wasn't quite sure which of them was comforting the other.


	56. Interrupted Cadence

One of the things that Loki found most surprising about Thor's cultural interests was that he loved opera. He didn't necessarily understand what was going on, especially if it was in a language he was unfamiliar with, but he loved it all the same.

Of course, Thor's previous exposure to music was the amateur folk tunes of the villagers and stately organ playing in his church accompanied by variable singing. Suddenly hearing the work of some of the world's greatest composers performed by highly trained singers and instrumentalists, must really have been a revelation.

And Loki was happy to indulge him. It was fun to go into high society at Thor's side, like he was one of them, like he belonged.

Of course, if Thor also liked to touch him just a little under cover of darkness, his eyes fixed to the stage, Loki wasn't complaining. It was forbidden and wicked and therefore very enticing indeed.

Still, no reason to let standards slip. He was still a teacher after all. It was his job to guide Thor, not just let him soak things up through exposure alone.

He chose performances that allowed comparing and contrasting with existing works, especially adaptations. They saw Verdi's Macbeth, Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice and found themselves one evening running late to a performance of Donizetti's Parisina, based on the poem by Byron.

It hadn't been too difficult to find a copy of the work in the English-language bookshop. It held a strange jumble of titles, most likely all sold by young men in Thor's position wanting a little less weight in their bags. There were dozens of copies of the classics, a few contemporary novels and, of course, reams and reams of poetry.

Parisina concerned the forbidden love between the wife of a duke and a young man who eventually was revealed to be the duke's bastard son. Upon learning of their affair, despite knowing the truth of the man's heritage, the duke had his wife's lover executed before her eyes.

Melodramatic. Just the right sort of thing for opera. He had Thor study the orginal so as to be versed in the story before they went. That was if they ever made it at all - they had rather lost track of themselves in yet another gallery and arrived home with barely enough time to eat and dress before they would have to leave again.

Thor was yawning in the carriage on their way to the grand Teatro della Pergola. Hopefully the music and performances would be entertaining enough to keep him awake. And in the meantime, a little test might be in order.

"Tell me, Thor, from your extensive knowledge of the genre, which vocal ranges will sing the different parts?"

"Well... the villain always has a deep voice, so I would expect the duke to be a bass or baritone. The young man will be tenor, of course. But I am not sure of the female lead. She is the innocent, which is often a soprano role, but at the same time she is a married woman and they are often contraltos. She could be played by either depending on which traits the composer found more compelling."

They did not have the luxury of a box to themselves, instead being placed very squarely in the middle of the stalls. But that brought its own benefits. A clear view of the performance, good accoustics. And, of course, a crowd with which to hide in.

Thor's hand slid onto Loki's thigh somewhere in the middle of the overture, as it usually did. No-one suspected. No-one was looking. Loki wondered how many other couples out there might be using the cover of the low theatre lights to indulge in some forbidden touches. How thrilling it was to hold such a secret in plain sight!

The opera had been on and off the stage for several decades, so the performers were highly skilled and practised in it. Not the composer's best work perhaps, but pretty enough.

At least until the ending when Thor let out an audible gasp.

"She dies?" he whispered urgently. "She didn't die in the poem!"

Indeed she had not, but it seemed the libretto demanded an additional dash of Gothic and had the eponymous lady collapse of a broken heart in the final act. To her credit, the performer made it seem more credible than Loki would have imagined it could be.

"You didn't enjoy it then?" he asked Thor as they made their way home.

"Until that point, I enjoyed it very much. But I had imagined a happy ending for Parisina. Perhaps that she would leave the duke for what he had done, or that he would die and she would find love with another."

"Well, you should make your own version when you are back in England."

They often joked of such things, and Loki was almost sure that Thor was going to attempt to learn some kind of instrument upon their return to England. Pianoforte perhaps. He fancied himself to have a very musical ear and even Loki had to admit that his humming and singing were generally fairly tuneful. Perhaps he just needed a little training.

It was already dark when they got home, but Dolce had lit a few candles for them in readiness, the evening post there for Thor. A new letter from his father no doubt. One had been expected for a few days and Thor immediately reached for it while Loki retired.

Loki was hanging up his jacket when he heard the letter opener clatter to the floor.

"Everything alright?" he asked, coming back into the parlour, suddenly afraid of Thor's ashen expression, thrown into sharp relief by the candlelight.

"It's from the butler, Heimdall. He... He says that my father has suffered a stroke."

It was as though the floor had given way and swallowed them both.


	57. Facing Reality

Thor slumped into the desk chair, his head in his hands and Loki rushed to comfort him.

"He yet lives, Thor. Recovery is possible, especially if it was mild. Write a response saying we are on our way. We can ship all our things but basic clothes to lighten the load and be back in England before October."

Thor sobbed his breath.

"But... But then..."

"Shh, I know. But we can worry about that later."

He couldn't voice it. He couldn't bring himself to say the words, to admit that he would have to leave and they would not so much as see two Christmases together.

Last Christmas, he had been Thor's first lover. And this one, they would be far apart. Unlikely to see each other again.

He couldn't show his feelings. Thor had just had a terrible shock, he needed support and reassurance. Loki took the pen from his trembling hand.

"I will write. Go and get ready for bed. I'll join you shortly."

His letter flowed out without any apparent intervention from his brain. He confirmed that they had received the letter, that Thor was understandably shocked, that they would make haste and return to the estate immediately. He wrote to their landlord also, explaining the reason for their suddenly departure and apologising profusely.

He went downstairs to see if any of the staff were still up and found only the housekeeper, entrusting her with the letters and asking that they be sent as soon as possible.

Then he was back upstairs, blowing out all but one candle to light his way to the bedroom.

Thor was beneath the covers, his shoulders heaving with sobs. Loki looked at him for just a moment before changing into his nightclothes and sliding into bed alongside him, extinguishing the last candle.

He thought to cuddle Thor, to hold him close and help him sleep, but was surprised to find Thor nude and reaching for him.

"What are you doing?"

"Please... I... I just want to feel something that isn't this."

He could hardly refuse, even as his own heart ached as he tried to kiss away Thor's tears and reached for his cock, stroking it rapidly to hardness and muffling Thor's choked moans with his mouth.

It took a long time. Thor's flesh was willing, but his heart heavy and Loki's wrist was aching when he finally spilled with a sigh.

Only then did he let Loki cradle him to his chest, stroking his back and feeling the hot splash of his tears.

Even when he finally cried himself to sleep, Loki found himself awake, staring into the darkness and trying to plan their return.

Tomorrow morning, they would pack up their things and settle with the landlord. Their bags could go to the docks to be sent back to England - a shared pack of one or two shirts each plus small clothes would be all they needed. And the route... Well, he could plan that once they were underway. A shorter route through the Alps would be best, as near a direct journey to the Channel as possible and then back to England before...

He reflexively held Thor a little tighter and tried his best to hold back his own tears. His shaking ribs would wake Thor if he sobbed.

The separation had been his idea. And he would get used to it, in time. And, of course, it was Odin they ought to be thinking of. A stroke could be thoroughly debilitating. He needed his son by his side. The estate needed Thor to be there, to care for it and take care of all its people.

They were not separated yet. There would be weeks of travelling north still, and likely a little time in England to say goodbye properly.

They would live. The world would yet turn. Separate lives would begin, happy memories taken onwards.

Surely, given enough time, even broken hearts could heal.


	58. Heading Home

It was difficult to spur Thor into action the next morning. His heart was heavy, his head full of tears that seemed to almost pour out of him. Loki packed up the clothes they wouldn't need along with the books they had acquired during their time in Italy, having to almost drag Thor out.

They met Dolce of their way and Thor paused to give her a generous gift of money. She had been a good maid to them, Loki supposed. And she might need that money to tide her over until more tenants came. She seemed almost as upset by their leaving as Thor was.

The business they needed to do passed in a flurry. The landlord asked for an additional month's rent due to their sudden departure, a scandalous suggestion though they paid it without dispute. Their bags were securely loaded onto a boat bound for England. Depending on their route, their clothes might beat them home. And then the carriage, finding a driver with fast horses willing to take them back to the border.

Thor was quiet and stoicly despondent until they were underway. Only then did he speak.

"I was so looking forward to Rome."

Loki looked at him in surprise. He'd been trying to estimate which route through France would be quickest, carefully not thinking about what they wouldn't experience of the continent.

"I know you were. But these things happen sometimes, unfortunately."

Thor's face settled into something close to a pout, his lips trembling.

"I don't want to go home."

"Darling, your father needs you."

"I know. And of course, I am cursing every hour that keeps me from him, but then again, each of those hours is another I get to spend with you and... I don't want you to leave me."

Loki sighed, turning away.

"We talked about this. I must go. I don't like it either, but... Well, this is adulthood, Thor. It's full of hard decisions and compromise, sacrifice sometimes."

Glancing back, unable to keep his gaze away, Loki found he couldn't remain cold in the face of Thor's distress and opened his arms wide for him to nestle in.

"I know it seems hard," he said, half into Thor's hair. "But it was never going to be easy. And just think, you're only feeling like this because you have good memories to mourn. You will always have those. But it doesn't do to dwell on the past. Soon you will be back on the land. Back among the sheep again. Those new lambs from half a year ago will be almost grown. Think to the future."

"The future doesn't have you in it."

Loki stroked his arms soothingly.

"I know. But you will love again, I promise. Maybe even stronger than this. You can be happy without me, I swear to you."

Thor didn't have anything to say to that except more sobs. Loki could do nothing to ease his pain except hold him close.

His eyes were bloodshot when they arrived at a suitable guest house. A family health emergency, they told everyone who noticed. What a dutiful son, to feel so deeply for his father, they all remarked.

Thor had to be coaxed into eating. He was clearly exhausted, heart-sick, and yet he refused to go to bed alone. They had secured a shared room and it seemed he wanted to make the best use of it.

"Stop," Loki said when Thor knelt in front of him the moment the door was closed. "Not when you're so upset."

"Please?" the whispered response. "I need something to quiet my mind. And I don't want to waste even a second of our remaining time."

Loki at least took him to bed, laying him down gently and moving until they were head to tail with one another, opening his trousers just enough. He was amazed he managed to grow hard, but the attention of Thor's mouth bypassed his emotions. In a strange way, he was still trying to be comforting even with Thor's cock in his mouth. Trying to distract, to take away his sadness. At least his muffled moans suggested he enjoyed the sensations, however fleeting.

He let Thor hold him afterwards, his chest rising and falling steadily, until his arms grew loose and Loki was able to extract himself and move to his own bed.

He stopped to pull the blanket over Thor's sleeping form, hoping that he would feel a little better by the morning.

The night did seem to soothe him a little. He seemed resigned over breakfast, eating with a kind of steady determination to be back on the road.

Still, the minute they were back in the carriage saw him plastering himself to Loki's side, like he was trying to soak up his love through physical contact alone.

Loki was happy to let him try, arms around him and lips pressed to his scalp as he inhaled the warm scent of outside and sunshine and _Thor_ , helping it to linger in his nostrils for hours after they were forced to separate for their midday meal.


	59. Implausible Ideas

They didn't get back to England by October. Loki decided not to go to the hassle of dismantling the coach, instead electing to make the detour around the Alps through Monaco and into the French Riviera. If that meant he had a few more days in Thor's company, so be it. Alas, there was no time for them to enjoy the landscape and architecture of the little kingdom. They had to be always on the road.

And to be fair to Thor, he did seem to be bouncing back a little. His grief was not so heavily upon his shoulders anymore and he was able to talk about home without so much trepidation in his voice.

He barely mentioned their impending parting and so Loki didn't either, thinking not to upset him.

Of course, they were making the most of their evenings and their days of travel. They seemed to know something new about one another every day. Stories and secrets and fears, nothing was off limits to their conversations.

"Do you remember your mother?"

"Of course. I was already twelve when she died."

"I'm sorry."

Thor sighed heavily.

"It was sudden. There was no horrible build up to it. I suppose I'm grateful for that in a strange way."

"How did she...?"

"She was helping with a particularly difficult calving and the cow kicked out. It... It ruptured something internally and she died."

Loki was stunned. He hadn't known. Hadn't thought to ask. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"So that's where your love of the land comes from. From her."

"Oh, from her and my father. She was quite scandalous in her day, helping out on her family's farm when she ought to have been indoors. It was good that they had such shared interests, I think. It made their relationship stronger. And when I was a small child, it was all they and Nurse could do to try and keep me out of the barns. They were allowed out there, so why not me? And when she died... Well, I think my father was torn. He wanted to protect me from those risks but he knew that I was determined to carry on her passion for the land. I think it comforted him really, that he could see so much of her in me."

"I'm sure he's very proud of you."

Thor shrugged.

"I think parents are generally proud, even if they can't show it very well. I'm sure yours are in truth."

Loki couldn't quite bring himself to agree with that, but he nodded vaguely anyway. It would only be fair to share a story from his own childhood, he supposed. One of similar gravity.

"I'm only where I am because my sister died," he said.

Thor looked at him with huge eyes, though surely he couldn't really be surprised. Children died every day. No doubt he had been to the funerals of several in his time.

"We were both smaller than most, or so they told me. I don't remember her. I was three or four when she passed. She was twelve."

"What happened?"

"What always happens. She fell ill. Overworked in the mine. She'd been operating the ventilation doors since she was four, pushing carts from seven. She had weak bones from lack of sunlight, always sickly from the exhaustion. It was just too much. And there I was, the lucky one, just the right age for the rector to take pity on me. I believe he picked me out at the burial. If she had lived, perhaps he would not have felt so moved. Perhaps he would not have paid for my schooling and helped me so much."

Thor seemed very touched by his story, sitting back in his seat.

"I must admit, it does strike me sometimes," he said. "That to me, working on the farm was a fun option to occupy my time whereas it was life or death to my young friends."

"At least you do go out. You are hardly one of the idle rich, Thor. You understand the difficulties they face. I don't think the mine owner had ever so much as seen it."

"Still. It's unfair. We have the village school of course, but so many children leave too early to go to work, or are called out to help their families during planting and harvest. It's not fair."

"Well, when you take over the estate, you can insist that the children get a proper education."

Thor looked at him strangely for a moment and then seized his hands.

"You could run it," he stammered. "The school. I'll extend it and fund it and you will teach and we will be together."

It broke Loki's heart all over again to have to pull away.

"I'm not... I can't teach very young children, Thor, especially not groups of them. I don't have the skills for that. Besides, having to live so close to you but not _with_ you, to watch while you got married and fell in love with someone else... I'm sorry, I couldn't bear it. Don't ask me to."

"Why not? Why couldn't you teach them? Besides, I wouldn't fall in love, I promise."

"You can't promise that. You know you can't. And anyway, how cruel to your wife to trap her in a loveless union. She would know if you did not love her. Believe me."

And now there was a hint of anger in Thor's expression.

"Why are you so determined to leave me, Loki?"

It was like a slap, a shocked gasp slipping out.

"I'm not. I'm being realistic. Sooner or later, this has to end and I would rather that we parted as friends. A quick, sharp pain, not a drawn out withering."

Thor retreated to his corner and gazed out of the window, the trees already beginning to be tinged with yellows and browns.

"Don't be cross with me. You know I'm right."

"M not cross," Thor mumbled. "I'm upset. Leave me to it."

There was nothing Loki could do but rest his head on one hand and wait for the dust to settle.


	60. England

Loki refused to let Thor hold him hostage and would not submit to any other questioning about his future plans for once they were back on the estate.

For one thing, he wasn't sure what those plans would be. Collect his pay from Odin and then back to London, he supposed.

If he even felt so much as a hint that the conversation might be drifting that way, he distracted his young love in the only way he could. There was more than one way to submit after all. That said, on more than one occasion he had to almost limp out to the carriage of a morning after letting Thor use all his insatiable prowess on him. Oil was the only luxury he had allowed himself to bring on their journey north.

After weeks of travelling, they finally sold their carriage. There was a brisk trade of them in Calais. For every young man leaving, another was arriving with all the same needs. Offering it for a slightly lower price than they had paid originally saw it vanish quickly.

They took the stagecoach up to the Channel and Thor looked out over the water in distrust. How sick he had been the first time around! Poor thing.

"Just don't look at the horizon," Loki said as they stepped onto the boat. "I think that is what causes it, the sight of the shore moving up and down."

The crossing was rougher than it had been coming the other way, but Thor managed not to be sick. He had to sit down on the deck with his eyes closed for the entire trip, but he still made it.

They would not be able to get to the estate by the end of the day, not without arriving in the middle of the night, which Loki felt would cause a dangerously high level of excitement for Odin. His health might be too fragile for that.

No, it was far better to stop just north of London and continue on in the morning.

It was really just by chance that this gave them one last night in each other's embrace. Or that's what Loki was telling himself.

There wasn't really enough room on the single bed for such activities, but they weren't going to let that stop them. Loki did his best to make it good, to make this time memorable. Once they were back on the estate, there was likely to be little or no time for physicality. This might be his last chance.

He was gentle and reverent, running his hands all the way up Thor's body, touching him everywhere. He had settled between Thor's thighs and already he could feel him beginning to undulate beneath his body, seeking a little friction.

Loki refused to relinquish Thor's lips. They were his prize and he wanted the taste of them to linger. As such it was a little difficult to shuffle them both onto their sides and get his fingers low enough to rub against Thor's entrance.

And then, of course, he had to stop kissing just to slick everything up, smiling at Thor's little sound of loss.

He was in no rush. One finger was enough to set Thor sighing against his lips and he matched his languorous kisses with two pumping steadily in and out.

Of course, Thor pushed things along.

His quiet moans became plaintive, wanting, and Loki teased by pretending he didn't understand, keeping up that steady action until Thor pulled away.

"Please," he whispered. "Please, I need..."

He gasped as Loki removed his fingers, tipped him onto his back and smoothly replaced them with his cock. His slick hand found Thor's, their fingers lacing together.

Every thrust was important, pressing all the way inside and pulling almost all the way out every time. He could feel Thor clenching around him, both of them panting as their bodies moved in perfect harmony.

It might be the last time, so Loki drew things out, holding back to make their pleasure stretch, enjoying the heat of Thor's touch and the muffled little sounds he could draw out of him.

"Ah... Mmm, sir..."

"No, use my name."

"Loki... Oh, so good."

"Shall I make you spill?"

"No... Not yet. Keep going."

"Together."

He could hardly bear to look at Thor's face, the blush upon his cheeks, his shining lips, the little crease between his brows. So open and honest, his pleasure so evident.

A slight shift in angle had him groaning deep in his throat, holding it back. How Loki wished that circumstances were different, that they could cry out openly.

"There? Is that good, darling?"

"Yes. Mmm, yes, right there."

He made a sad little noise when Loki wrapped his hand around his cock, but the tightening of his muscles was becoming too hard to resist.

"Spill for me, Thor. Let go for me."

"More..."

"I can't last much longer."

And despite his protests, Thor seemed ready to burst as well, his cock eagerly twitching in Loki's grasp, his breath coming in short bursts.

Loki pressed their lips together again as they climaxed, softening both their moans, chests heaving and hearts hammering.

"I love you," Thor said.

"I love you too."

Discomfort be damned. He settled himself against Thor's chest and stayed there. One more night in his love's arms was worth it.


	61. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one. I'm having a very busy week and fell asleep without posting.

"It all looks the same," Thor said as they caught sight of the house the next day.

"Why wouldn't it?"

"I just... I feel as though everything in my life is different now. It's amazing that it hasn't changed too."

They had sent a note ahead the previous night, advising when they intended to arrive and so quite a party had come out to meet them. In the centre was Odin, sitting in a wheeled chair and wearing a patch over one eye and with one of his arms in a sling.

He did not seem to have suffered any detriments to his mind though, pulling himself upright with some degree of effort to embrace his son. Loki hung back a little, allowing them to reunite in some degree of privacy, smiling at some of the other staff members he had been friendly with.

Odin evidently wanted to hear all about what Thor had seen and done and discovered. Thor pushed him inside, beginning to talk about crossing the Channel and passing the photograph they had sent home, framed and on display proudly in the entrance hall.

"How is he?" Loki asked the butler.

In truth, Heimdall had always unnerved him a little. He had a way of gazing through you, like he could see all your secrets easily.

"He has trouble walking. More trouble. And he has lost the sight in one eye completely. His arm is weak but with continued effort, they say he will regain the use of it. Otherwise he is doing well, considering. And Thor? How is he?"

"Unhappy to have to return home for such sad reasons, but otherwise well."

"Not too much of a handful."

"He had his moments."

Their things had arrived from Italy a few days beforehand, all the books laid out on Loki's bed. Of course, some of them were Thor's, so he took the time to separate them and find his photograph, laying it carefully into the pages of his dictionary for safekeeping.

Finding tasks from organising his expanded wardrobe to cleaning his shoes kept him from thinking too hard before dinner, where he found himself unexpectedly in the centre of attention. Everyone wanted to know about where the young master had been and he was pressed to tell story after story, from the Alpine hospice to meeting Miss Jane. Not everything. There were even some thoroughly innocent parts that he preferred to keep to himself.

He stayed up later than he would have otherwise, but he wanted to be tired so as to sleep easily.

Of course, Thor had other ideas, knocking at his door a few minutes after he had retired.

"You shouldn't be here," Loki said, letting him in anyway.

"I couldn't sleep. It was too quiet. I kept trying to hear you breathing."

"Thor, you know that we can't stay in the same room."

"I know. But I just... I just want to be held. For a little while. And then I'll go back downstairs."

Of course, he didn't stop at just being held. Loki put up a token defence against the first kisses, but soon found himself pressing back, letting Thor touch and caress him, letting him reach under his nightclothes and tease him to hardness.

"Yes?" Thor asked.

"Don't stop now."

He had become practised at this, holding their lengths together and stroking steadily, easing them to climax almost gently and settling into Loki's arms afterwards.

"Stay," he murmured. "Just until Christmas."

Loki sighed.

"I can't do that. Then it will be 'stay until my birthday.' 'Stay until your birthday.' 'Stay a little longer.'"

"Don't you want to?"

"Staying won't let us fall asleep together. It will just torture us. Seeing each other but never being together? I could not bear that. This is what we agreed. Don't try to fight it now."

Thor's tears were almost silent, rolling from his face and soaking into Loki's nightshirt, leaving a damp spot even after he stood to leave.

"When will you go?"

Loki glanced at his things, almost entirely packed up.

"I don't know," he lied.


	62. Leaving

_Tutor for hire: Sober man aged 31 years. English grammar, mathematics, French, Latin, rudiments of Italian and German. Male and female students aged 14 and older considered. Salary negotiable._

Loki stared critically at the advertisement. It needed something else. He ought to mention that he had been on a grand tour, but the idea of being employed to watch over a young man who was not Thor on another such trip was strangely abhorrent to him.

Perhaps he ought to mention his references or his most recent pupils. But something about adding Thor's name to a list though, pretending that he was just the lastest in a line of young charges, like he was no different from them... Again, it made him feel almost ill to even contemplate.

He was still battling with it when a maid knocked on his door to tell him that Odin was asking for him.

Of course, he would want to settle the bill. Still, every step hurt. Every step was one step closer to leaving. To leaving Thor.

He scolded himself. Thor was the lovesick one, not him. He couldn't stay and he knew it. Apart, they would be happy again. It would be well.

Despite his illness, Odin still had an imposing bearing. He struck Loki with a steely gaze, his single eye perhaps more piercing alone.

"You've had quite the effect on my son," he said without further preamble. "He has learned a lot under your tutelage. His writing, his speech, his vocabulary... It has all improved very much."

"Thank you, sir."

"Of course, now it is time for him to begin taking on more responsibility on the estate."

Loki nodded, but said nothing.

"He would like to keep up his learning, but I fear he would not have the time to dedicate to formal lessons. I would hate for you to feel yourself underutilised."

There was no point in staying, he told himself. There was no point.

"Whatever your decision, Thor told me he wanted to recognise all you did for him. We spent a lot of time yesterday discussing finances and Thor's first decision was that he would like to pay you a pension."

Loki blinked. He could not have heard that correctly.

"A pension, sir?"

"200 pounds a year in quarterly installments in perpetuity."

His heart hammered in his chest. That was so much, too much.

"He said you might want to go to university, to complete the studies you never had a chance to in your younger days. This would easily cover fees and living expenses, I think."

"It's too much," Loki finally managed to say. "I cannot possibly accept such generosity."

"You know that my son is difficult to dissuade when he puts his mind to something. He was most insistent. I doubt anything will change his mind on this."

He hadn't expected anything like this. It was unbelievable. With that much money, he would never have to teach again, but could live amongst the books he loved so much. He could write them even.

Thor was giving him this. One final gift to last the rest of his life.

He wanted to weep, but forced himself to be strong in front of Odin, keeping his voice carefully steady.

"Thor is one of the best students I have ever had the pleasure to teach. He is insightful and thoughtful, given the right encouragement. I am truly honoured to have helped him. But I do not think he needs me anymore. He has initiative. He will be able to study for himself now when he finds the time."

Odin nodded.

"I am very proud of him, more so thanks to your work with him. You have helped him grow into a fine young man."

He offered his good hand and Loki made himself speak as he shook it.

"With your permission, sir, I will leave today. Of course, I will write with my address when I am settled to have my bags sent on."

"I understand. There is no sense in delaying."

No, there wasn't. Thor was out on the farm, becoming familiar with it once more. He would be able to leave without seeing him. It would be far too dangerous to speak to him. Such generosity was a clear invitation to stay and yet...

And yet he knew that if he did, he would be disrupting Thor's life forever. He needed to run his estate, find a wife, have children. He did not need distractions. And neither of them needed a long, protracted death to their affair.

Within the hour, Loki had collected his pay and packed enough clothes to last a week or two. He bade the other staff farewell and went out the front door, walking towards the village. He could take the postal cart to the next town and then the stage coach towards Oxford, find a guest house and begin seeking more permanent accommodation the next day and...

Halfway there, he heard hoofbeats pounding behind him and almost shuddered to hear Thor's voice, calling on him to stop.

He could hardly outrun a horse.

Thor dismounted, his face an image of misery.

"You were just going to leave?" he said accusingly. "Without saying goodbye?"

"I... I'm sorry. You don't know how much it pains me to do this."

"Then stay with me! Stay and be happy."

"Thor... You promised you wouldn't try to keep me."

"I know, but..."

"Ssh. You know this has to happen. I know it hurts. But one day it won't. But if I stay, you know we'll drift apart and that will be worse."

He hated himself for doing this. Thor took his face in his hands, pressing their lips together. He couldn't even fight it, despite the danger of kissing in the open.

"Write to me," Thor said. "If you cannot be here with me, at least don't rob me of all contact. Promise me that you will."

Loki nodded, tears threatening to fall.

"You mustn't write of love," he protested. "It isn't safe."

"I will make it secret. I will use code."

"What code?"

Thor thought for a moment before giving Loki a sad smile.

"Instead of writing 'I love you,' I will say that I am remembering Florence. You will know what I mean."

He would. He knew that he would.

Thor walked with him to the post office and stood by to wait for the cart, his horse snorting and pawing at the ground, unused to this quiet treatment. It was strange. They had to hold themselves back so much. A handshake. A nod. A look back from the carriage for a last glimpse.

Thor's heartbroken face seemed to float behind Loki's eyes throughout his journey.

Only when he was alone in a lodging house did he allow himself, finally, to cry.


	63. Letters from Thor

_Dear Loki,_

_How wonderful to hear from you! I am most gratified to hear that you have settled and enrolled for the next semester. It brings me great pleasure to know I have been able to help you. You must tell me all that you are learning, if they can even find things to teach you. It seems a difficult job from my perspective!_

_I have now taken full control of the estate with my father advising me. It seems this will take up almost all my time, but already I am trying to improve the lives of the workers and their children. I have begun to take a real interest in ensuring they are all offered an education. I believe the school building will need to be extended if we are to achieve all I want to..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_Your letters make me long for Florence even more than usual. I remember how much the history interested you. It's wonderful to hear about your studies. It's almost like being in lessons once more. Even from so far away, you are still teaching me._

_I wish I could come and visit you, but spending even a day away seems impossible at the moment. I had not realised just how much work I was taking on, I don't think. But since you are similarly drowning in work, I suppose it is inconvenient for both of us._

_My Cupid finally arrived, only a few months later than expected. Father finds him a little gauche but he is precious to me all the same. I have ensconced him in pride of place in the hallway - quite the conversation piece..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_I'm not sure how to begin this letter, so I suppose I will just grit my teeth and do it._

_I realise this will be a surprise, but I am to be married in a month's time. I know you will believe me when I tell you I still dream of Florence, but she is a wonderful lady. Her name is Sif and she is the daughter of a friend of my father. Her father said that he wanted someone to take charge of her and though I doubt I am the man to do that - I don't think such a man exists if I'm honest - I do feel we will make a good team. She is very kind and intelligent, very interested in social change, an ally in my plans to improve the local schooling. I believe you and she would get along well._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_Congratulations on your graduation. Have you decided what will you do now? I'm sure there will be many options for you. No matter what you choose, I know you will be very successful._

_I have not yet finished reading your essays - harvest has rather occupied me of late - but I have found what I have read so far very interesting. Your concerns about whether to pursue further academia seem unfounded to me, as surely they would be stupid not to welcome you back with all your skills and dedication. But of course you will know the best path for yourself._

_\---_

_Dear Loki,_

_What a time I am writing at. My hand trembles. A floor above me, Sif is screaming and has been for some hours. She is giving birth to our first child. It may be our last also for I do not think I could bear it if she went through this pain again._

_I feel intense guilt that I cannot aid her. I have been chased away from the room and I can think of nothing else to do than write to you. You have never failed to soothe me with your advice._

_I must distract myself. Otherwise I fear I will develop a twitch, I am so nervous._

_I was very interested in the manuscript you sent me and am returning it complete with notes I have made on it. I hope you may find them useful. I am very much the lay audience so I am perhaps too simple to understand all of the more specialist parts, but if any of it can be the least help, I will be very glad..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_I have a son! A healthy young boy and Sif is tired but otherwise well. Although I sent the first earlier, you will no doubt receive both these letters at once along with your manuscript._

_I wanted to name him for you. I cannot. Giving my child a name that is never far from my thoughts seems too strange to me. It is your name and I cannot give it away like that. We have named him Modi. He has my eyes, everyone says, though I do not think my own are half so bright..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_I must begin this letter with sad news. My father has died after a short illness. Although it was expected, I still felt it keenly. I think I had almost convinced myself that he would live forever despite his health problems. How ridiculous I am sometimes. Still, I am glad he lived to see his grandchild born._

_I have been missing the warmth of Florence very much these last few days. I remember the sunshine and the gentle wind. I remember our house and how the dawn would stream into my chamber and I would wake with not a care in the world. Sif has been taking care of me very well, but my heart still aches._

_I almost got on the train to Oxford, but I cannot allow my grief to interfere with planting. There needs to be stability. And of course there is the funeral to organise..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_Modi told me that when I next wrote to you I must include his very best thanks for the dictionary you sent him, so here they are! He will be ahead of the class when they start in the autumn and already is crowing to his little friends about his gift from a learned holder of a doctorate. I don't know where he gets such brashness from, I really don't._

_I found your most recent article fascinating. I could hear your voice in every word. You might have been in the room with me and speaking it. Please draw my attention to anything you write in future or anything else you find of interest. I promise you, it is not a chore for me to read them. Indeed, it is my favourite way to occupy my leisure time, what scant there is of it of late._

_In particular, I would love to know more about the manuscript you are translating. How exciting to be the first person to read the words of a person who lived so long ago! Though I cannot deny that it sounds very complex and I would be very interested to know more about the process..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_I hope your students never find out how you write about them! I have been chuckling to myself quite outrageously at your last few letters. You really are quite shocking sometimes. It reminds me of nights at the opera in Florence._

_It seems you have forgotten just how terrible I was when we first met. It's a wonder that you did not leave immediately. At least these new pupils are able to read out loud accurately. Is that a task a professor must set or is it exclusively written work?_

_I wonder if they know how lucky there are to be taught by one such as you. Somehow I doubt it..._

\---

_Dear Loki,_

_I have this very minute finished your book and must write to you right away. I cannot believe how insightful and interesting it is. I'm sure I drove Sif and the boys to despair with constantly reading out passages to them._

_At least Modi humoured me. He is interested in all kinds of schooling and has a real inquisitive nature. Then again, as his father, perhaps I am biased._

_Speaking of which, the extensions to the schoolhouse continue apace and we hope to be finished soon. Many of the pupils share my love of outdoor lessons and will be most disappointed to be herded inside. Still, come winter, I'm sure they will appreciate it. I will be setting up a coach service to bring children from neighbouring villages to the school and Sif has grand plans for a boarding house. Whether these schemes will ever come to fruition remains to be seen._

_Perhaps one day we will stand among the great learning centres of England and some of our pupils will go off to join you at Oxford. What a day that would be! I'm sure you would have no qualms telling me of any shortcomings in the curriculum. I would be glad of that._

_I shall organise my thoughts and write a far more articulate account of my reaction to the book and send it as soon as I can. It may take a while, so do not worry if there is a delay of several days between this note and that._

_Until then, I remain your affectionate friend,_

_Thor Odinson_


	64. 20 Years On

"Professor? There is a visitor in your office. I told him when your set hours were, but he was very insistent that he was going to wait."

Loki sighed heavily. A student no doubt. Why couldn't they just leave him alone to get on with things? They really did get in the way.

He opened the door, prepared to send whoever had come to disturb him away with a flea in their ear, but froze in the doorway.

Of all the people he hadn't expected to see...

Thor... His Thor, in the flesh, looking at the photograph from such a long time ago.

He looked different. Like he had grown into his body somehow. Sure of himself. He had a strange little smile on his face as he glanced up to find Loki staring at him open-mouthed.

"You have it on your desk," he said, gesturing to the framed image. "Funny. So do I."

Loki managed to come to his senses and closed the door, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Well, I felt it was only right to have my patron close at hand," he said. "To remind me of how I got here."

Should they shake hands? Embrace? Loki found himself in a strange limbo, unsure what to do.

Thor came to meet him and gently, intimately touched his temple, the place where Loki knew he had long ago begun to go grey. His hair was more silver than black these days.

"You look well," Thor said.

"So do you. I like your beard. Very distinguished."

Thor laughed a little. He had lines by his eyes now, ones that spoke of many smiles over the years. He'd been happy. It was one thing to hope that was true and quite another to see the evidence of it.

"Why are you here, Thor? Not that I'm not glad to see you but... Well, you didn't say you were coming."

"Modi is thinking of university and so while he investigates the campus here, I thought I would finally spend a day away from the estate and surprise you."

"Well, you certainly managed that."

He was so nervous. Gone was the young man he had once been so intimate with and in his place, an adult with whom he shared some of his innermost thoughts in their letters. It was so strange to see him as he really was and not that same seventeen-year-old he had parted from two decades ago.

"How is your wife?"

"She's very well. The school is occupying her much of the time. I'm very lucky to have her to look after it while I'm busy on the estate. I'm lucky also that she is not a jealous woman. She does not mind that I write so frequently to my dearest friend."

There was something about the way he said it, something meant there, and Loki felt sure that she knew of their affair. Perhaps not all the sordid details, perhaps not even in so many words, but she knew and accepted that Thor's love was shared, was harmlessly shared, with another. Assuming...

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

Loki nodded.

"Good. She sounds like a wonderful woman. I'm glad you found someone so compatible."

It was only right to say so. He had treasured every one of Thor's letters all these years and had no doubts of his continued affection, but he wanted a happy union for them all the same.

"And you?" Thor asked. "Have you... a partner?"

"Oh, two or three down the years. Circumstances did not align favourably, unfortunately."

Words came so easily when they wrote to one another. Loki had truly rejoiced in every happy event of Thor's life. He had valued his advice and questions greatly, had consulted him so often. Why was seeing one another so strange?

"Do... Do you still think about Florence?" Thor asked.

He genuinely hadn't expected such a question.

"Oh... Yes. Yes, often. Sometimes when my classes have made me more frustrated than normal, I can spend hours at home thinking of Florence to relieve my stress."

Thor's lips twitched and he took a step forward. 

"Stop me if I'm being presumptive, but... Well..."

Loki reached for him almost unconsciously. Something in the back of his mind scolded him, told him to think of Thor's wife and children, but he couldn't resist such an opportunity.

Oh, those lips! So soft and warm. Different with the beard, but still so perfect.

His back hit the door, his hands slipping down Thor's sides and under his jacket. He was not so soft as he used to be, his muscles well defined and stronger now. His own body had gone the other way, the years of university catering taking away his sharper angles.

"How... How long do we have?"

"Only a few minutes I expect."

Loki knew he should be sensible, that he shouldn't do this, but on the other hand...

"We'll have to be quiet."

Thor grinned at him, that same grin that he knew so well. The one he liked to remember in the night. The one he liked to think he managed to provoke when he wrote particularly interesting letters.

"I'll try."

He shrugged off his jacket and threw it on to the back of the visitor's chair before pulling Loki close to him again.

"You taste the same," he said, a hint of wonder in his voice.

His hand went to the buttons of Loki's trousers and suddenly it was like they'd never been apart. Loki reached for his handkerchief automatically as Thor freed their erections.

"The last time... Do you remember? Your last night on the estate."

"Of course I do. Mmm, Thor..."

"Yes..."

Thor's hand was rougher now, testament to his physical labour on the farm, adding a new frisson to a familiar act. They held back their moans with kisses, Loki's hips thrusting helplessly into Thor's hand until he came with a gasp.

Thor finished not long afterwards, accepting the handkerchief to clean up and planting more kisses to Loki's face.

"I love you. And you don't know how good that feels to say that out loud, not having to obsfucate or hide it behind other words."

"Well, let me try. I love you, Thor."

"Even now?"

"Even now."

They laughed at themselves. How ridiculous they were.

"Things have worked out well, haven't they?" Loki asked as they made themselves respectable, opening the window to air out the room. In hindsight, it was fortunate that Thor's beard was long enough to spare him any marks to his face.

"I didn't think they would, I must admit. But... Well, I have been blessed many times."

A knock at the door announced the arrival of one of those blessings.

It struck Loki suddenly that Modi was seventeen, the very same age Thor had been when they had last met. How had so many years gone by so fast? It shouldn't have been possible.

He looked a little like Thor. Certainly, those eyes were from him. Odin had had similar ones. But the young man had darker hair, slightly sharper features. They must have come from his mother.

"Modi, this is my very dear friend, Dr Laufeyson."

His handshake was firm and confident. He was very much Thor's son. How strange that was. How strange this all was.

"How have you liked Oxford?"

"Well," Modi said. "I like it very well indeed."

"Glad to hear it."

Thor offered him a secret little smile as he left with his child to catch their train. He had grown up so much, and yet that young man Loki fell in love with was still in there.

His heart was dancing as he sat down at his desk, his eyes flicking automatically to the old picture.

He ought to be working, but he had something important to do first, reaching for new paper and his inkwell.

_Dear Thor,_

_You have only just left my office and yet I must write and thank you for surprising me today. I could have been right back in Florence with you..._

Maybe there was a little perfection to be found in this world after all.

The trick was finding it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... There we go.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this and for all your comments and kudos along the way. I know a lot of you were hoping for a different ending, but... Well, I hope you like it anyway!
> 
> This is actually the longest single fic I've written so far so thank you for helping me sustain a story longer than I usually manage.
> 
> Just... Thank you. Your reactions are what help me keep going.


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